


Bitten

by Mukashii



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gay Sex, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Monsters, Mutual Pining, POV First Person, POV Multiple, Post-Apocalypse, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smut, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:14:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 127,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24947470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mukashii/pseuds/Mukashii
Summary: About a century ago animals began to mutate, becoming aggressive and bloodthirsty creatures called Infected whose one bite is enough to kill... or infect. These monsters decimated a large part of the world's population and forced humans to hide underground to survive all this time but some people are able to fight them. They assemble into groups and go to the surface to hunt these monsters, like the Mugiwaras. Everything was going well for them, until they met Law, who was bitten several days ago.
Relationships: Trafalgar D. Water Law/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 174
Kudos: 189





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi ! I'm happy to present you my new LawSan long fic !
> 
> There are two POV, Sanji and Law (if you read my other fic about this pairing it's the same system, the POV switches when there is a ~O~ but if it's not clear enough I can change it or else, you just have to ask!)
> 
> Anyway, enjoy ! I hope you'll like it :)

My heart is pounding in my chest and ears and I feel like my lungs are on fire as I run down the dark corridors. Even though I can't see them I know they are here, I feel like they are right behind me. I can hear the noise they make behind my back and their grunts even though they are still far away. They must be at least ten and they're faster than me.

I have to find the others as soon as possible. I clearly don't have the advantage to fight in an enclosed space and my shoulder hurts with every movement but I keep running, my footsteps ringing in my ears as I head towards what I hope to be the exit.

I push one more door and it is with relief that I recognize the hall we entered through. I close it behind me and push a large metal cupboard into the passage to slow down my pursuers before starting to run again. I hear knocking behind but don't turn around to check, I know this makeshift barricade will only save me a few seconds, so I redouble my efforts to get out of here despite my exhaustion.

I must be about thirty feet from the exit when I hear a loud crash behind me so I try to accelerate again. As I pass the door I feel what's chasing me just behind me before I get splashed with a hot, slimy substance as I fall to the ground outside, out of breath.

I slowly catch my breath, relieved to be out, and hear the creature dying with disgusting noises less than ten feet away from me.

“That was just this time, stupid eyebrow!” A mocking voice throws at my right.

“Next time you abandon me like that I swear I'll kill you, fucking Marimo!” I retort, raising my head towards him.

He starts laughing and offers me his hand to help me up. I accept it in bad faith and stand up again while he sticks his katana in the creature's head to finish him off, spilling his greenish blood on the ground. I feel this same liquid running down my neck and my back, causing me to shiver with disgust.

“Ugh... you owe me a shirt stupid seaweed,” I said to him in disgust. “This thing is really disgusting and thanks to you I have it all over me.”

“We'll figure it out later,” he says. “Others are coming.”

At the same time, the creatures' screams echoed from inside the building before five of them came through the bay windows to jump on us. Zoro slices the one that throws itself on him in half while I take care of the two that come in front of me with a kick, sending them impaling themselves on metal bars sticking out of the facade. 

I see another falling dead on the ground with an arrow stuck in her head. The last one suddenly takes a punch coming out of the trees a few feet away, crushing it on the ground with a disgusting noise. A last wave of monsters arrived, we killed them without difficulty and I can finally catch my breath, adjusting my shirt as not to feel the blood running down my back.

Silence falls again, I sigh as it is finally quiet and light a cigarette to celebrate.

“Oi, Zoro ! Sanji! You're late,” Usopp shouts, coming out of the trees with the others. “What happened?”

“If a certain shitty swordsman hadn't gotten lost leaving me alone in there, we could've been here long ago.”

“Say that again? K'so Cook!” his tone is angry and he's approaching me.

I don't even bother to answer him and turn to our friends who are coming up to our level.

“The important thing is that you're fine," exclaimed Luffy, giving me a friendly pat on the shoulder.

A wave of pain all over my arm makes me shudder and I immediately put a hand on my shoulder under the interrogating gaze of the others.

“Sanji, are you hurt?” Chopper asks as he comes up behind them.

“Nothing serious,” I say, raising my eyes towards the young man who just arrived, followed by Nami and Robin. “It's just dislocated. These damn things took me by surprise and I fell a floor or two... but I managed to recover what we came for,” I add, pointing the backpack on the ground next to me.

“Come here, I'll put it back for you," he said.

I walk up to him and he grabs my arm to put my joint back in place without any further ado. A little groan of pain escapes me but at least I can move my arm freely now, quickly relieved. 

“Let's go guys," Luffy says a second later. “We've got to get to the others before nightfall.”

We nod and he turns around, followed by everyone else. I pick up my bag and throw it over my intact shoulder and turn my eyes to the creatures' corpses one last time. I take one last puff of smoke from my cigarette, throw it over the pile of monsters and watch them almost immediately ignite into powerful blue flames before following the others.

A little over a hundred years ago, one hundred and six to be precise, and without us knowing where it came from, some animals began to mutate. They became extremely aggressive and dangerous creatures that were nicknamed the Infected. They are strong, fast, bloodthirsty and seem to particularly enjoy the taste of human flesh. As if that wasn't enough, one bite is enough to kill a human being... at best. 

Humans can get infected and die or turn into monsters too, and that's where the trouble starts. Infected humans are far more intelligent than other monsters. 

Where basic monsters are content to attack any living creature that comes within their reach, Infected Humans have been known to stalk and trap people, making them dangerous enemies on a level that has nothing to do with Infected animals. We've come across two of them in the last few years, but we haven't been able to get rid of them. Both times we could only flee, the situations were too bad for us to try to fight. 

In any case, whether or not you succumb to a bite, the process usually lasts two days during which the subject has a very high fever and is said to be extremely painful, so usually you finish off a victim quickly to avoid that suffering. I've never seen someone get bitten, and I wish it didn't happen, I don't know if I would have the courage to shorten the suffering of one of my friends if it happened to him.

Because of these monsters a large part of the world's population was then decimated in just a few years, unable to flee. Even the forces of the World Government were not enough to repel them, so the humans quickly went underground to take shelter, hiding like the prey they had become, and erected a huge underground city for the survivors called Grand Line.

A few years later, some people began to develop a power called Haki, which allowed them to gain increased strength and senses and to defend themselves more effectively against these creatures. These humans, known as Mercenaries, then decided to come to the surface by organizing themselves into groups or working alone to fight against the Infected and allow humanity to retake the territories occupied by these monsters. 

Subsequently, galvanized by the possible advances, some "normal" humans with special talents or useful knowledge joined the Mercenaries and became part of their groups.

Unfortunately we didn't take back much in terms of surface territory but thanks to all these people we discovered that along with these strange mutations in the fauna, the flora was also affected. Some fruits in rare cases gave a special ability to the person eating it. They were called the Demon Fruits. Because of their rarity they are sold at a ridiculously high price on the black market and most people who have eaten them are Mercenaries, further increasing their power and chances of survival out of the city's security.

The problem being, some of these Mercenaries were not very interested in risking their lives on the outside and tried to take power before being countered by the World Government and forced to settle down. 

Since that time, most of them being full of themselves or rude bastards, the Mercenaries are not really appreciated in this new society, although they are the only salvation of the human species.

The surface being populated only by monsters and Mercenaries, it quickly became an area where everyone does what they want and it is not uncommon for Mercenaries to kill each other over a piece of territory instead of carrying out their mission, which continues to maintain their bad reputation. Or rather _our_ bad reputation.

I'm a Mercenary myself. For a little over two years I have been part of Luffy's group, who is also one - like the Marimo head - and who ate a Demon's Fruit making his body elastic.

We now roam the surface in abandonment and lead our lives between our battles against monsters and our research on the origin of these mutations. We're one of the few groups that still care. After so much time the most people have inevitably accepted what was happening and are simply living their lives. We've gained a little notoriety over the last two years so we're lucky enough to not have many Mercenary groups attacking us, we're relatively quiet up there.

Our small group walks for a few minutes until we reach our five motorcycles left nearby. We get on them and start to reach our camp, slaloming between the trees until we reach a more practicable path.

“So Zoro got lost again, huh?” Nami asks me with a little smile. “You know you have to keep an eye on him...”

“I just told him to go to the next room and see if he could find anything useful,” I say with a sigh. “How was I supposed to know that idiot was gonna get lost? He didn't even have to walk ten feet... Next time I want to go with you or Robin-chan.”

Robin, hanging on the back of the Marimo, makes a little laugh but he just frowns. Nami shakes her head as we go on our way. Luffy in the lead, has fun going from right to left laughing despite Usopp's protests, forced to hold on to him so as not to fall down.

“Usopp!” Zoro suddenly called. “Two to our left, at eight o'clock.”

“I'll take care of it,” the latter answered, catching his bow while Luffy immediately resumes a straight line trajectory.

He aims between the thickets in the direction Zoro indicated and shoots an arrow. A grunt and a falling sound comes to us while our shooter is already preparing to shoot his second arrow. I've always been impressed by Usopp's archery skills, he always manages to hit his target even though, not being a Mercenary, he didn't have the same developed senses as we do. 

In spite of the noise of our vehicles, I can hear the muffled footsteps of his next target, it must be about fourty feet away. The arrow goes off and I can hear it going into the head of what must have been some kind of dog originally and falling to the ground. Usopp puts his weapon away and we continue on our way as threatening clouds begin to obstruct the sunlight and rain approaches in the distance.

After maybe an hour we reach our camp, where Brook and Franky are waiting for us. Franky had built a kind of armoured bus that allows us to travel long distances safely and is powered by a fuel he developed himself, which is also used for our motorcycles. 

We are going to put the motorcycles in their place in the bus and climb each one in turn on the roof to reach the camp located in the trees. Our beloved engineer has also invented this kind of giant tent that can be hung up anywhere so that we can spend the night comfortably and safely at height. I don't know the living conditions of the other groups but I think ours are above average.

“There you are!” Brook smiles when we get to the common area. “Zoro-san got lost again, didn't he?”

“No kidding...” I answer, slumping down on a chair. “It's always the same with him, he can't even walk straight...”

I look at Zoro coming close to me putting a hand on the handle of one of his katana but he's held by Nami so I ignore him.

“Sanji, did you get what I asked for?” Franky asks when he joins us.

I nod and hand him the bag I've kept with me.

“That's great! I'll be able to move on,” he replies, grabbing it. “How long before you leave again?”

“In two or three days I think,” Nami answers. “After that we'll have to go back to town to get provisions, we really don't have much left and there are very few healthy animals around, we'll have to change places.”

“We're also going to run out of care equipment soon," Chopper adds, sitting next to me.

“Sanji, I'm hungry!" Luffy exclaims as he stormed into the room.

I smile and get up to prepare a meal for my comrades. After dinner we spend the evening chatting happily and then everyone goes to bed, as usual.

**~O~**

The rain runs down my face, my makeshift shelter doesn't really protect me, but I don't care. After all, I don't have long to live, so what's the point of protecting myself from the rain? I should have been dead by now, but nothing happened. The memories of the last few days come back to me and I shake my head to chase them away but they won't leave my mind.

For the umpteenth time in almost a week, I lift up my blood-soaked shirt to inspect my wound. The bleeding has stopped for maybe two days and the wound is even starting to heal but the bite is there, I'm not dreaming so why am I still here ? I wish this whole thing had been a nightmare.

If my organism wasn't so strong I would be dead right now, what a chance... But what worries me most is why I wasn't already dead or turned into one of those disgusting monsters. Why does my body persist in resisting? Why aren't I allowed to join them ? If I don't die from this bite, I will end up dying of hunger or thirst after a while anyway. I don't even want to waste my strength looking for food. 

I continue to feel sorry for myself when, although muffled by the sound of the rain, I can hear a voice and footsteps in the mud approaching my shelter. Although I was frozen and exhausted, my senses were still sharp. 

By reflex I hold the sheath of my katana against me, I no longer have enough energy to use my power but I am still able to slice in half the person who comes in my direction if necessary. Because I'm condemned doesn't mean I'm going to let myself be killed without resisting by the first person who comes to me, I have too much pride for that.

“... lost that idiot again,” the voice complains, his owner visibly annoyed by something. “If I find him this time, I'll really kick his ass.”

The man seems to be looking for someone, I listen to see if there's another person, but I assume he is alone. 

He's now right next to the old wooden shack I've taken refuge in. I bend down so he doesn't see me through the broken window but I move too suddenly and my wound throws me back, tearing out a groan of pain that I try to stifle. The footsteps stop and I curse inside for making noise. 

“What the...”

The man stops. He's obviously a Mercenary, otherwise he wouldn't have heard me. Hardly any normal human has dared to go out on the surface alone for decades... I can hear him going around the hut to reach the entrance and the door opens slowly a few seconds later. 

He can't see me from the entrance so I take the opportunity to get up, clenching my teeth so as not to make any noise despite the pain in my left side and prepare to attack him. Once the door is fully open, when I can see his silhouette cutting into the door frame I gather what little vitality I have left to pounce on him with my weapon and hope to kill him in one blow. My wound slows me down a lot but still, I must admit this man has good reflexes because he dodges my shot by jumping at a good distance from me.

He looks at me with astonishment without lowering his guard. My head is spinning and black dots are dancing in front of my eyes, probably due to fatigue and blood loss, but my katana is still up and I'm looking at him with a hard look. Standing is a torture and the rain doesn't help, even though my wound has started to heal it remains very painful and deep but I can't show him my weakness. 

Mercenaries like him and I spend all their time fighting and most of them take advantage of every opportunity to kill someone and take what they have so I was suspicious of everyone, especially since I was alone. Well, he's gonna be disappoited I don't have much left to lose.

“Put the blade down," he says, raising his hand to me. “I don't want to fight.”

I do not answer anything, just screwing my eyes to his, which quickly deviate to detail me. I see his attention lingering on my wounded side, where I know without needing to lower my eyes again that a large stain of blood soaks my clothes.

“You are wounded," he says.

“And what if I am?” I spit with my teeth clenched. “That won't stop me from killing you before you kill me.”

I hate to see that kind of compassion in his eyes so I throw myself at him again, splitting the air with my blade, but he just avoids me again and again as if it were nothing, before throwing his knee in my side. I fall to the ground and bend in half, putting one hand on my wound and dropping my weapon. He comes up to me and kicks it before I can catch it.

“You're in no condition to even fight...” he just says, no aggressiveness.

“Screw you,” I throw vehemently, I'm more pissed of now than if he was trying to hit me with all he's got. “Kill me and get it over with, I should be dead anyway.”

He frowns in a sign of incomprehension and his gaze falls again on the spot of my wound. He kneels down next to me and his hand comes close to this area but I grab his wrist to prevent him from doing so while giving him a black look. 

I don't need him to laugh at me or see his disgusted face when he sees my injury. He gets out of my weak grip and pulls my garment up over my stomach to see my wound. His eyes stay focused on it for a second before he understands what it is. His expression changes and he has a slight backward movement but he doesn't try to kill me right away.

“How dou you -” he start, his glance going from the wound to my face. “How long ago were you bitten?”

“What do you care?” I sigh as I struggle to keep my eyes open, both from the fatigue and the rain that's coming down on me. “If you're not going to finish me off, just leave me alone and let me die in peace.”

My head starts spinning a little more. I don't even know if what I'm saying is clear, my ears are ringing, the sound of the rain is pounding in my head. All I want right now is falling asleep. As if he didn't hear me, he inspects my wound and touches my forehead. I try to push him away but I have no energy left and my head starts to hurt a lot so I reluctantly let myself be pushed around by this stranger.

“You don't have a fever," he says. “At least not as much as you should. When did you get bitten?”

“Five, maybe six days,” I manage to articulate with difficulty as my eyes close on their own and I find it difficult to remain conscious.

“It's impossible...” I hear him whispering.

This semblance of a fight has drained what little energy I had left and these two words are the last thing I hear before I fall into unconsciousness, reaching my limits.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi ! Here is the second chapter, hope you'll like it ! :)

I stand motionless for long seconds in front of the man who just fainted, I don't know what to do except stand like this in the rain. That he's still alive so long after being bitten by an Infected is impossible. It's a wonder he wasn't attacked by other monsters during that time with all the blood he must have lost, they can spot that smell from several hundred feet away. 

I don't know what to do, he is all alone, already half dead and the fever due to his condition doesn't help. I listen to make sure he's isolated, trying to discern any sounds that might tell me he has companions nearby, but all I can hear is the sound of rain falling on us and thunder rumbling.

I stare at him for a few more seconds before I finally make up my mind. He may have tried to kill me, but his case may help us understand what happened a hundred years ago if he was actually bitten as long as he says he was. I grab him gently, retrieve his katana and carry him to my motorcycle to take him back to camp. 

I ride as fast as I can while avoiding dropping the stranger still unconscious and without the risk of slipping in the mud and sending us both into the ditch. In a corner of my head I hope Usopp managed to find Zoro, this idiot would be unable to find the way alone. 

“Chopper!” I call when I get to the bus. “I need your help!”

I see his head sticking out of the tent just a few seconds later and then he comes down immediately when he sees I'm not alone. 

“Who's this guy?” he asks as he wraps one of his arms around the stranger's body.

“I have no idea,” I answer, leaving the motorbike on the ground to help him carry the man. “I was looking for Zoro again when I came across this guy. He's badly injured...”

He nods his head, Chopper would never let anyone down even a stranger. We get into the tent somehow and I go to my bed, where we put him up so we can check him out. 

“I'm going to need water and clean cloth, there's some in the desk drawer," he says.

“I'll be right back.”

I put the man's katana in a corner and go to the desk to open the drawer and take out some white cloths. My hands shake as I bring a basin of water back to Chopper. I don't know why but I can almost feel the adrenaline flowing through my veins, as if I was in the middle of a fight. I stuff my hands in my pockets while Chopper dips a cloth in the water and lifts the man's shirt.

“It looks like he has several superficial wounds that have started to heal and a larger wound at the - but, uh - Sanji!” He suddenly exclaims, raising his head towards me in panic. “Why did you bring an Infected Person here? You know we can't do anything for him, and if he changes he'll -...!”

“Calm down Chopper, I know,” I try to reassure him, raising my hands in front of me. “I brought him back here because he says he was bitten almost a week ago,” I add. “What if he was telling the truth?”

“A week ago?”

I nod, his attention shifts to the unconscious man. After a few seconds of reflection he begins to gently clean his wound but I see he is not reassured, his eyebrows are furrowed and I hear his heart beating hard in his chest. 

Once this is done he goes to get a metal box on a shelf and takes out some alcohol and bandages before disinfecting the wound and taking care of it properly. After that he brings the blankets over our John Doe's body and turns to me with a sigh.

“He doesn't have a high fever," he says. “From what I've seen it's true that the bite is not from today. I can see the wound is not dirty, it looks like it was treated in an emergency and with the means available, but that's probably why it's rather clean. I don't know how that's possible, but this man doesn't look infected.” He pauses and looks at the bed. “He should wake up in a few hours, we can ask him questions when he gets his strength back. In the meantime, could you look after him?”

I nod and he goes out to return to the central space of our tent, leaving me alone with the sleeping man. I quickly look at his face and sit on the floor next to the bed, sighing. 

**~O~**

When I wake up I have no idea where I am, but I am warm and comfortable in what is most likely a bed, which I hadn't had in months. I can't move, my body is aching all over. But how did I end up in a bed?

I don't open my eyes right away, still foggy from sleep, and concentrate instead on my hearing to try to find out a little more. I hear nothing but a slight background noise that I can't identify a little further away before discerning a breath right next to me.

“I know you're not asleep anymore,” A voice that sounds familiar let out. “Your breathing has changed.”

There's no point in pretending anymore, so I open my eyes to discover what seems to be the inside of a tent and, with considerable effort I stand up to see who is next to me. I then recognize the blond man I faced before I lost consciousness and try to get away from him by getting out of the bed I'm in, but he grabs my wrist to stop me. 

As I look down at his hand in contact with my skin I notice my chest is covered with bandages. I am suspicious of him but he apparently took the trouble to take me to what was undoubtedly his camp to treat me so I relax a little, but not completely. Seeing I don't intend to do anything, he lets go of my wrist and leans against the bed behind him.

“Why did you bring me back here?” I ask, suspicious.

“A simple thank you would have been enough,” he sighs and crossed his arms, his eyes on me. “Why do you think I have a special reason?”

“Everyone does what they do for a reason.”

“Maybe I didn't want to have your death on my conscience.”

I'm not totally convinced, so I gauge him for a few seconds in silence, if he wanted to kill me I'd already be dead. Apart from him, I've only met one other person in the last few days and she wanted to finish me off the second she saw my condition. Unfortunately for her, even dying I had been faster and stronger. When I heard him approaching I didn't see why he would be any different, but instead he brought me back here and healed me. 

“How long was I unconscious?” I ask the question to fill the silence, my throat dry.

“About four hours," he answers, looking at his watch. “Are you hungry?”

Without waiting for my answer he gets up and leaves the room, only to return less than a minute later with a chair he puts down right next to me and a steaming bowl in his hands. He hands me this one before sitting down beside me and doesn't take his eyes off me while I take the bowl and bring it close to my lips. I don't think he would poison me, not after saving me so I hesitate less than a second before drinking.

I haven't swallowed anything for almost a week, so the hot drink that poured down my throat makes me feel great and warms me up nicely, it's only then that I realize how hungry I am. The other man just watches me silently as I finish my meal and put the bowl on a box that certainly serves as a bedside table to my right.

“Now that you're awake you'll be able to answer a few questions," he says. “First of all, who are you?”

“You attacked me, brought me back here against my will for some reason, I have no idea who you are and would you like me to answer your questions nicely?” I say with irony. 

He may have said he had no hidden motives for helping me, but I can't trust him blindly, even though he helped me so far. He's still a complete stranger.

“It wasn't me who attacked first, but okay," he says raising an eyebrow, the only one I can see actually, since the right half of his face is hidden behind his hair. “My name is Sanji, I'm part of the Straw Hat group and I brought you here because I'd like to know how you can still be alive even though you've been bitten.”

I've already heard about the Straw Hat's group, they've been making a lot of trouble lately, both above and below ground, and I've heard their leader is a completely thoughtless and childish person. From what I've heard they have only a trio of Mercenaries but they have a reputation for being pretty strong and have earned the respect of several larger groups. In spite of this, this Sanji does not really correspond to the idea I had of one of the members of this group.

After long seconds of staring at each other in silence, the man in front of me obviously waiting for me to say something, I finally remember he asked me a question and I am supposed to answer it. I don't necessarily trust him, but I can give him that.

“Trafalgar Law," I sigh. “I'm -” My chest clutches a little. “I was the leader of a group, you don't need to know any more. As for that wound... I don't know any more than you do.”

“Was?” He wonders. “What happened?”

“You don't need to know any more,” I repeat, a little more aggressive this time.

He frowns, he obviously don't like my answer very much but I couldn't care less.

“Can I at least know how you got bitten?” he asks, crossing his arms again.

I support his gaze without answering him. The circumstances in which I was bitten are not something I want to talk about with a complete stranger. It's too soon. I lost too much at that moment to want to think back and share it with a man I don't know.

“All right," he sighs suddenly as he stands up. “As you wish. You can rest a little longer, you look like hell. I'll bring you something to eat later.”

He leaves the room without waiting for my answer and I'm grateful for this. A few seconds after he leaves, I lie down painfully and stare at the stretched canvas over my head, immersing myself in my thoughts. Obviously I'm going to survive, I have regained a bit of strength and if this bite hasn't already killed me I won't die because of it. 

I mechanically put one hand on my wound, now covered by a clean bandage, wondering what to expect. I have no illusions, I suspect it is not only out of the goodness of his heart but because I am still alive and human despite this bite that I find myself here. If this Sanji saved me it's because he's interested in my case, he must think I can be of some help to save humanity.

The problem is I don't necessarily want to be used as a guinea pig, which is what I will probably become if scientists in the city learn a case of uninfected person exists. After all, it is my job as a mercenary to help humanity... Except I didn't choose this life because I wanted to save the world. I never wanted to save it, I wanted to be free. I fought to master Haki years ago and I'm pretty good at killing those Infected monsters, I never wanted anything more. 

The life I led until a few days ago suited me perfectly. There was no one to give me orders, I was free to do whatever I wanted, and all I had to do was to get rid of the Infected who came a little too close to my group when necessary.

I shake my head to chase away these memories. I don't want to go through all this again, it's over now. I'm alone from now on, I'm hurting myself more than anything else when I think about it. 

I sigh and turn on my side before closing my eyes in the hope that I'll fall asleep quickly.

**~O~**

Once I'm sure our guest is asleep I join Chopper, who immediately raise his head towards me when I get close to him. I sit across from him on the other side of the table and let out a sigh.

“So?” he asks. “What did you learn from him?”

“Not much except his name, Trafalgar Law,” I shrug my shoulders and answer. “He used to lead a group, but he won't tell me what happened to him.”

“Trafalgar Law...” he repeats. “I feel like the name is familiar but I can't remember where I heard it.”

I shrug my shoulders again for any answer because for me, the name means absolutely nothing. Which is not surprising, there are many Mercenaries and some of them have not been back in town for years so we don't really know what our numbers are. Only a few dozen go back underground regularly to inform the World Government about the situation on the surface, while others never leave the city. As for us, we only go back there when we really lack something or see the people who matter to us and who are forced to stay there.

“Anyway,” I continue. “He doesn't seem very nice, if you ask me.”

“It's understandable,” he says. “He's very weak. He's certainly spent the last few days alone, wounded and wondering whether he's going to die or turn. And then... given his condition, it's not very difficult to guess what happened to his group, is it? I don't think you'd be in a much better shape or much nicer in his situation.”

I keep silent, suddenly feeling a little ashamed, then unconsciously I turn my eyes to the dormitory, from which I can hear the brown haired's regular breathing if I concentrate. 

Chopper may not be entirely wrong, I can't blame the man for being unpleasant when I don't know what happened to him. Besides, in the world we live in, it's a matter of survival to be suspicious of everyone. I sigh again before lowering my gaze to my joined hands on the table.

“By the way Sanji,” Chopper calls me a few moments later, taking me out of my thoughts. “Where are Zoro and Usopp?”

“That damn Marimo head got lost again without anyone noticing,” I answer catching my pack of cigarettes in my pocket. “Usopp and I tried to find him but the rain started falling and prevented us from following his trail so we split up, that's when I bump into Trafalgar Law. He attacked me, we fought, he passed out and I brought him to you.”

“Maybe Franky and Usopp should develop a bug to put on Zoro for this kind of situation,” he sighs shaking his head. “But this time we can thank him for getting lost.”

“I don't see why I should thank this idiot,” I complain while lighting a cigarette. “I crawled in the mud and the rain for an hour and was attacked by a stranger looking for him...”

“Precisely, you came across him," he smiles. “He would certainly have died if you hadn't brought him back here looking for Zoro and maybe he's the one who will allow us to save humanity.”

I stare at him for a moment while blowing a cloud of smoke. Of all of us, Chopper is probably the one who most wants to find out where the Infected came from and a solution to this problem, especially since his father was killed by these monsters a few years ago. So he decided to follow in his footsteps and become a doctor like him. He doesn't talk about it much, but I'm sure it's because he doesn't want more people to suffer the pain of losing a loved one in this way that he wants to save everyone.

That hopeful smile that he displays at the moment warms my heart. Even though we are a group of happy idiots most of the time, there are very few times when we really get the chance to have a smile without having to worry about anything and we all have a few bad memories behind us.

Chopper and I remain in a comfortable silence for several minutes while I think about what we are going to do next regarding Trafalgar Law. We still can't bring him back to town like we're making a delivery, he's a human being...

I stub out the cigarette I just lit and sigh. It's useless to think about that right now, he's not even in any condition to walk yet anyway, he's going to have to get back on his feet before we see what happens next.

I get up and go back to our wounded man because anyway I have nothing better to do than waiting for him to wake up again to try to find out a little more. And then with a bit of luck the others will be back soon, they hadn't gone that far, we can then decide what to do together.

In spite of everything I have a bad feeling. The man sleeping next to me brings us a glimps of hope, perhaps a clue to repair this fractured world... But I have a feeling something is going to go wrong. It can't be that simple, it's not enough to find someone who's resistant to the Infection to make all our problems disappear. I shake my head to get this idea out of my head and wedge myself against the back of my chair, crossing my arms to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading ! See you next week :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi ! I hope you're doing good, here's chapter 3 !

It is only two hours later, when I had fallen half asleep without realizing it, that a noise bring me out of my lethargy.

“Sanji?” Usopp's voice call from the other end of the tent.

"Oi, K'so Cook!” Zoro's shouts at the same time, noticeably more angry. “Why'd you run away?! We've been looking for you for hours!”

I raise an eyebrow when I hear that, I hope it's a joke. He enters the room angry and I'm convinced he would have kept yelling at me if he hadn't noticed a stranger sleeping despite the noise he makes.

“What's that?” he asks, pointing at him.

“That, as you say, is the reason why I came back here stupid Marimo,” I answer while standing up. “And I think you have a lot of nerve blaming me for that when you're the one who got lost in the first place! We always have to go looking for you because you're unable to put one foot in front of the other in the right direction!”

He gives me an interrogating look, obviously waiting for me to tell him more, so while sighing and waving to him to follow me, I pass him and leave the room, the Marimo on my heels. I see Usopp chatting with Chopper and Brook, whom I haven't even heard coming back. They turn their eyes to me for a moment while Chopper explains how we are taking care of Trafalgar Law and what we discovered about him.

“So what are we going to do with him?” Usopp asks after a moment of silence.

“Let's wait for the others to come home,” our doctor answers. “We have to ask Luffy's opinion before we decide anything but I don't think he has a problem with us helping anyone, does he?”

The other one nods his head and Zoro, who has been silent until now, opens his mouth.

“And who's to say this guy isn't crazy? We don't even know him,” he says. He frowns and his eyes pass from Chopper to me.

“Zoro-san's got a point,” Brook adds. “We don't know what effect this bite may have had on him, it's the first time anyone's ever survived this long.”

“He woke up earlier,” Chopper says. “He looked fine and didn't seem to want to cut our throats, so he should be fine. I think.”

“That's why we wait for the others before we make a decision," I sigh. I understand they're suspicious but I couldn't leave someone behind, not in this state, even a stranger. “Besides, in his condition he won't hurt anyone...”

“Don't you want to do something like tie him up, just in case?” Usopp worries, as usual. “Even asleep he doesn't inspire any trust in me.”

I'm sketching out a smile. Law is very weak. Even only one of us could largely take care of him if it was necessary so we really don't need to reach such extremes but coming from Usopp it doesn't surprise me. Nobody's taking over though, and we're just staying together until the others come back.

**~O~**

When I open my eyes again, I guess it's the night and I'm surprised I wasn't woken up earlier because of the noise. I have no idea what's going on but there seems to be a lot more people around than when I went back to sleep. Many voices are all talking at the same time and I have trouble understanding what they are saying but I hear my name once or twice so I guess they are discussing what they are going to do with me.

I then stand up wincing in pain and look at the bandage on my left side, which is perfectly clean, before trying to put my feet on the ground. After a considerable effort and once I'm up, I stand still for a few seconds. My head begins to spin dangerously and I feel nausea rising but I still try to take a step before finally sitting down again with a sigh of frustration.

“You're still too weak to walk, you're tiring yourself out for nothing,” throw someone behind my back.

Being the voice I've heard the most in the last few hours, I don't need to turn around to know it belongs to Sanji and that he's the one behind me. Nevertheless, I turn my gaze towards him and discover him in front of the kind of curtain that serves as a separation between this part of the tent and the rest, where bursts of voices can still be heard. He's standing right there watching me, one hand in his trouser pocket, the other holding a new steaming bowl from which a tempting smell comes.

“According to Chopper, our doctor, you should be able to get out of bed by tomorrow morning," he continues.

I just nod my head and thank him a little reluctantly as he hands me the bowl while sitting on the bed next to mine. I don't like being in this situation but I have to admit that if I want to get better I have no choice but to follow the blond man's and his friends' instructions. So I bring the bowl to my mouth and take my meal quickly before putting it back next to me, empty.

“So,” I start, raising my head to the man in front of me. “What are you going to do with me?”

“For the moment we're going to wait until you're a little better," he replies, lighting a cigarette and blowing smoke above us. “But we'll have to go to Grand Line soon to pick up a few things so we'll see then.”

“And if I don't want to follow you there, will you make me?”

“If you feel like going back out alone in your state and dying by tomorrow, good for you," he says, raising an eyebrow. “But you may have the power to help put an end to this whole mess. It would be a shame to waste it, don't you think?”

As I understand it, they're going to leave me in town, which I want to avoid at all costs. There's a good reason I don't want to go back underground, I'm not going back there now, especially not as a subject for the World Government's experiments. I don't answer to the blond man, who gets up and leaves the room after getting the empty bowl.

Apparently I'm not being held here by force, but I still have to find the right moment to get out of here before it's too late. I raise a hand in front of my face and concentrate on trying to make a Room appear. A violent headache catches me but otherwise nothing happens.

I'm still too weak to hope to get out of here and survive alone in the wild, it's impossible without my powers. Besides, if I disappear chances are these people will come looking for me. To my great joy, I've become something very valuable because of that damn bite, they're certainly not going to let me go like that no matter what Sanji says.

If I want to escape from this, all I have to do is wait a while for me to get my energy and powers back and get out of here before I reach the city. I'm grateful to these people for helping me, but I didn't ask for their help and I'm not going to follow them nicely.

I spend almost an hour lying down, I don't feel like sleeping so I take the opportunity to think about how to get out of here and analyze what's around me. In addition to Sanji's, I manage to discern eight other voices, one of which is particularly strong, the person to whom it belongs almost spends his time shouting.

There are two women and if there are indeed three Mercenaries among the Mugiwara, I think I have guessed who it is. First of all Sanji, of course, the one who speaks loudly and who is probably the leader, Luffy, and a last one that I only hear when he is arguing with the first one whose name is Zoro.

There's a lot of ambient noise so I'm not quite sure of everything I've heard, but it seems to me this Zoro is armed all the time, I can hear the sheaths of his swords clinking against each others when he walks. I don't know if they're strong, but if I want to run out on them I'll certainly have to be discreet. I am confident in my abilities, but I am not able to stand up to three Mercenaries if I am not in possession of all my strenght.

I must have fallen asleep without realizing it because when I open my eyes again it is daylight and the tent is calm. Sanji passes the curtain and his gaze falls on me.

“Good, you're awake,” he says. “Can you get up?”

“Why is it so quiet?” I ask while pushing back the blanket to sit down.

“We're leaving today after all, we're shorter on supplies and medical equipment than we thought, so we'd rather leave while we still have enough to make the trip. The others are preparing the bus outside.”

I feel pretty good compared to the last few days and manage to stand up without too much effort. That's good, because I'm not too happy with the news of our departure. Everything around me starts to sway slightly when I turn to him and take a step but it is bearable.

“How long will it take to get to town?” I ask as I slowly approach him, a hand on my head.

“With the bus it shouldn't take more than ten days, it will depend on the road conditions,” he answers after a moment of reflection. “We didn't realize that we were so far away, that's also why we are leaving earlier than planned.”

As the months went by I didn't realize that I too had been so far away from the city, my last visit to Grand Line was at least a year and a half ago, maybe even two years. I haven't been back there very often since I first left twelve years ago. It also explains why I haven't seen any other groups for several months now, it's rare for people to venture that far from the city.

“Come on, follow me" he says, seeing that I wasn't moving. “You probably feel like taking a shower.”

A shower? I raise my eyebrows, what kind of camp has a shower? I don't have time to ask him that question, I just follow him out of the room.

This tent is bigger than I thought, the common space leads to two other "rooms" and I follow Sanji towards what is probably the bathroom. As I enter I see a shower, a large mirror against a chair and a pile of towels on top of it. It's not huge but I'm surprised they can have so much comfort, even most people in the city don't have so much.

“There's hot water so take as much time as you need," he says, turning to me. “I'll bring you some clean clothes and Chopper will come and change your bandage when you're done.”

I nod, still a bit giddy, before he leaves the room. After making sure he's out, I begin to remove the bandages that are wrapped around most of my chest. I remove the small bandages quickly, the wounds are already healed but I have more difficulty to take off the one covering my bite. I almost growl as I peel it off and stand in front of the mirror to see what the wound looks like.

Now that the wound is clean and no longer dripping blood I can see exactly the shape of the human jaw that did this, still red and ringed with bruises. Apparently the stitches weren't necessary. I gently put my fingers around it but it is painful, the skin is sensitive and I have to bite my lip so as not to let out a groan of pain. It heals as if I were a normal human.

My eyes slowly rise up to my face and I start staring at my reflection for long seconds. I look exhausted, but apart from that I look the same, at least physically if you forget my beard, neglected for a long week.

“Law, can I come in?”

Sanji's voice startle me, I didn't even hear him come back and he comes in before I could answer. I turn to him, he puts a pile of clothes on a wooden chest of drawers that I only now notice and I see his eyes lingering on my wound.

“Does it still hurt?” His tone is hesitant.

“It's bearable,” I answer with a shrug. “But I'm not used to a wound taking so long to heal.”

He's smiling. In general, the body of a Mercenary is two to three times more resistant than that of a normal human and its metabolism makes wounds heal a lot faster, so it's not normal this bite is still like this a week later.

All things considered, it's not normal that I'm still alive so at this point... We both remain silent for a moment looking at the ground before he speaks again.

“Well, here are some clothes," he says. “If you need anything, don't hesitate.”

“All right, thanks.”

He turns his heels and I wait to hear him talking to someone else outside to make sure he doesn't come back to take off my clothes. I notice they're not mine and get into the shower.

As I feel the water running on my skin I realize how much I missed it. I haven't taken a hot shower in months, maybe even years. My camp was quite comfortable but we didn't have running water so I was more used to washing in streams, and the water was much colder than that in the wilderness.

The heat gradually relaxes my muscles and I let the water run down my hair for several minutes before finally catching the soap. The smell floating around the room is pleasant, unusual and it takes a few more minutes before I finally come out and wrap one of the towels around my waist.

I rub my hair quickly and dry myself before grabbing the clothes Sanji brought back. It is a pair of dark fatigues pants, a shirt and a black t-shirt, which I put on before going out and back to the room where I slept to get my katana and cap that I spotted the day before, put in a corner. I'm grateful to Sanji for getting them back. I put my hat back on my head and then go and sit in the central area of the tent when I hear the muffled voice of the blond guy and someone else coming up here.

**~O~**

“Chopper,” I call his name as I turn to him. “He just came out of the bathroom, you can go in and change his dressing now.”

“Um... okay,” he answers.

We've finished emptying the tent so we can take it down, there are only a few last minute items left and we'll be ready to go. I see Chopper is reluctant to climb the ladder to join Law, alone at the top.

“What's wrong?”

“It's nothing. I'm just...”

“This guy freaks him out,” Zoro nags. “He doesn't want to be alone with him.”

“Zoro!” Chopper complains, his face turning a bit red.

I raise an eyebrow and smile.

“Yet you weren't scared of him yesterday when you treated him,” I tease him. Sometimes he reminds me of Usopp when he says things like this.

“Yes but yesterday he was unconscious...” He mutters, more to himself.

“Honestly I think you have nothing to fear from him,” I try to reassure him.

“You never know...”

I start laughing frankly when I see his unconvinced look, he and Usopp are hopeless sometimes, they're afraid for nothing. I see him shuffling to the ladder to go back up and take care of his patient and follow him. He gives me a grateful look as he understands I'm coming with him and I can't help but laugh again.

We arrive at the top to discover Law sitting down, he has retrieved his katana now laid against the table in front of him. Seeing the weapon next to him, Chopper gives me a look of little reassurance before going to fetch his medical kit. He comes back a few seconds later and sits down right next to Law asking him to take off his shirt. He does so without a word and our young doctor can begin to inspect his wounds and especially the bite on his side with great seriousness.

“The wound seems to be closing normally, although it's quite slow," he says. “All the others are closed, you are healing even faster than Zoro.”

Zoro has an impressive recovery even for a Mercenary, he can recover from a blade blow or a deep scratch in barely a day. We had the opportunity to measure this kind of thing easily since he and Luffy can't help but fight with everything they come across without paying special attention.

While Chopper does his bandage Law doesn't say a word and just looks at the ground, which allows me to detail the tattoos running down his chest, back and arms. I don't know what they mean but I can't help but observe them.

When his work is done, Chopper goes to put away his gear and goes back down while Law puts his shirt back on, hiding the biggest of his tattoos. When I look up at his face I notice he's already looking at me, he must have noticed I was watching him and I'm a little embarrassed to have been caught in the act.

“We should be finished with the preparations within an hour,” I announce to get back to a composure. “Would you like something to eat?”

He shrugged his shoulders, but I'm still going to the little kitchen corner of the tent to make him a quick meal before serving him. When he's finished and once the preparations are done Law takes his katana on his shoulder and we go down to join the others next to the bus.

They all look at him as if they were waiting for him to say or do something but he remains silent. He hadn't said much since he was there after all, but I don't know if it's his way of being or if he is too suspicious of us to talk but I'm leaning towards the second option. I shrug and get on the bus with the others.

Law sits in the back, alone, and I can see he's not comfortable, which I can understand, but I want to know what happened to him. I know the others also want to know more, unfortunately I suspect he won't answer us if we question him.

I notice Zoro watches him all the time even if he acts like nothing happened. He distrusts him more than any of us and I don't like the atmosphere that this tension creates. I sigh and a few seconds later Franky gets behind the wheel and drives off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of action but I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway, see you next Saturday ! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, it's saturday, time for a new chapter ! Enjoy ! :D

Sitting alone in the back of the bus, I keep thinking. I feel the curious looks of the others on me from time to time but I ignore them. The only one who seems to be really watching me is Zoro, obviously he trusts me as much as I trust them because I can see he has a hand always ready to draw one of his three swords.

The bus moves slowly, which is not surprising given that no surface road has been maintained and used for a century. Since then, nature has taken over: roots have been tearing up the asphalt, all kinds of plants have been covering the roads, and sometimes even a tree has fallen across the tracks, making traffic difficult. 

We have to go about twenty miles per hour at the most at the moment, but it's still faster than if we had had to go on foot, especially in my condition. I'm much better but I know I'm not able to walk for a long time.

A vehicle is fast but unfortunately also much noisier and more likely to attract monsters. After a quick calculation I think we must be two thousand miles from Grande Line, maybe a bit less. We are far away from the rest of humanity.

I can hear the Mugiwaras, or at least three of them, talking quietly and glaring at me frequently, as if they thought I didn't notice them. After maybe an hour or so, the redhead of the group whose name is Nami if I remember correctly comes and sits in front of me, so I look up at her.

“So, Trafalgar Law,” she starts with a little smile. “You're going to spend almost two weeks with us, you really don't want to tell us anything about yourself?”

“Not really, no,” I just answer, hoping she'll go away.

She leans forward, emphasizing her cleavage. I don't know if she's doing it on purpose, but if that's how she's hoping to get me to say something she can always try.

“Oh come on,” she insists. “You're not going to stay alone in a corner like that for the whole trip!”

“Leave him alone Nami," the youngest of the group, Chopper, intervene although a little hesitating. “He must still be tired.”

She ignores her friend, I cross my arms and glance up at her with a jaded look without saying a word. Chopper and the guy with the long nose look at me as if I could explode at any moment or suddenly decide to attack the redhead. After a few seconds, certainly seeing it was not going to work, she gets up and I follow her with my eyes while she goes back to sit down with the others. 

At the same time I see Sanji looking in my direction, he holds my gaze for a moment before looking away and resuming his conversation with his friends. Maybe he's watching me too after all. I resume my reflections while looking outside and watching the trees go by.

**~O~**

We've been on the road for eight days and there must still be about three hundred miles to go to our destination. Our guest spent the first three days alone in his corner in the back of the bus until Luffy finally forced him back to the front with us. He hasn't talked much since then, but at least the others aren't afraid anymore and even try to include him in our conversations. 

I was able to have a little chat with him during our trip but as soon as I try to find out more about what happened to him he makes it clear he is not going to tell me anything about it. All I managed to learn was that he was also the doctor of his group on top of being the leader.

Chopper is following the healing of his wound very closely and it is almost healed now. From what I have seen the bruises he had when he arrived are mostly gone and the bite is not so deep anymore, only some redness remains but according to Law it doesn't hurt anymore. 

Our young doctor still can't believe he is fine so he even took some blood from him to analyze it but found nothing abnormal. On the other hand, as we get closer I have more and more the feeling that Law is stressed, he doesn't let go of his katana and since the day before he has his face even more closed than before. I don't know the reason but he doesn't seem to be in a hurry for us to get to town.

“Franky!” Luffy shouts as he puts his head through one of the windows. “When do we get a break?” 

“Yes please, we've been driving since this morning and Luffy's really going to drive me crazy,” Nami complains.

It's almost dark and for almost two hours Luffy has been struggling to stay put. He keeps going back and forth between the inside of the bus and the roof, where he usually settles down to see where we are going and I can see Nami has been holding back from hitting him to calm him down for a while. He goes inside the bus through the window and goes to stand near Franky.

“All right, all right, we'll stop as soon as- What the hell is this? Guys, I think there's someone out there,” he's worried, it's not usual.

Zoro raises his head within a second and Law does the same at the same time. Luffy immediately stops fooling around to concentrate on what's ahead and I get up too to see what Franky is talking about. The Marimo and I approach the front of the bus on our guard to see a wounded man about six hundred feet ahead of us, lit by the headlights of our vehicle. Franky starts to slow down and passes by the man, who hits the bus shouting for help, before stopping thirty feet further on.

“Get moving!” Law orders suddenly from the back of the bus, stopping Zoro and Chopper who are about to get out.

“He is wounded,” the latter says. “We can't leave him like that!” 

“It's already too late for him,” the other retorts while coming to the front. “But if we stay here we're all dead.”

At the same time something collides with the bus a first time with a thud, then a second. 

“What's going on?” Usopp worries, clinging onto his seat.

“Infected,” Zoro answers, drawing one of his swords.

They run into the bus, threatening to knock it over with each blow. Looking back through the window, I see the man in the middle of dozens of Infected already devouring him, shouting at the top of his lungs until only the grunts of the beasts remain. 

Usopp, Chopper and Nami take refuge under one of the tables at the back of the bus while Franky tries to restart but it is impossible because of the attacks that continue and threaten to overturn the bus.

“Open up,” the Marimo call out to Franky's attention. “I'm gonna get rid of this shit so we can go back!”

The door opens and Zoro rushes outside immediately with all blades out, followed by Law. 

“Hey, you haven't completely recover yet,” I say, grabbing him by the arm.

“I'm in perfect condition to deal with these damn monsters," he retorts, freeing himself from my grip.

His look is hard and his tone is brittle, as if he was suddenly angry. I don't have time to say a word, the door closes behind him and just outside he takes out his blade to slice the head off some kind of wolf, sending his greenish blood on the bus window. Luffy comes out through an open window and throws his fist at three other monsters to crush them to the ground. 

I see a new wave of Infected coming out of the forest in the distance and decides to join the others outside, no way I'm letting them have all the fun.

“Brook, I entrust Nami-san and Robin-chan to you,” I exclaim while pressing the door opening button. 

“You can count on me, Sanji-san!”

I rush out just in time to send away a monster attacking the walking seaweed behind his back.

“You better watch your back, Marimo head. I won't always be around to save your ass.”

“I don't need your help, Ero-Cook.”

The four of us can wipe out all the Infected who attack the bus in a matter of minutes and the bus can finally start up again. We jump on the roof and continue on our way, but soon I hear a lot of footsteps following us, the creatures hidden by the trees along the road.

“They don't seem to want to let go of us,” I observe after a few minutes while going back inside with the others.

A bear-like beast suddenly rushes onto the bus, hitting it hard and breaking a window, the noise accompanied by the screams of our trio of cowards, who have finally come out of their hiding place. A smaller creature takes advantage of the opening to jump out and try to get in through there, but I kick it out, making it disappear into the woods with a little groan of pain.

“Stay away from the windows!” I command.

“We're all gonna die!” Usopp exclaims.

“Shut up! You're not helping, Usopp!” Zoro scolds, killing another Infected trying to get in through the broken window.

We continue on our way for several minutes, Luffy hitting all the beasts that are still chasing us and passing within his reach until I see something different passing between two trees, something fast but not running on all fours.

“Something else is coming,” Law announces at the same time.

I don't even have time to make a move, something grabs Chopper by the opening and pulls him out.

“Luffy!” the latter cries as he is being dragged away. “Help me!”

“Chopper!”

Zoro and I try to grab him but we miss his hand by inches. 

“Franky turn around, we have to get him back!” I shout as I'm already getting ready to get out. There's no way I let this monster have our friend.

“No!" Law exclaims, holding me back. “We can't face that thing and the hundred others infected at the same time.”

“We're not gonna leave Chopper here!”

“That's not what I said.” He raises a hand in front of him. “Room!”

A kind of bubble extends into the palm of his hand and the next second he's gone. I rush to the window to try and see him but just a few seconds later he's back there beside us again, holding Chopper trembling with fear with one hand before dropping him on the floor.

Nami rushes at once to see if he's all right and takes him in his arms to calm his trembling.

“How do you -”

“We'll talk about this later,” he cuts me off a little out of breath. “We have a more pressing problem, it's a Human Infected.”

A shiver runs down my spine. With the few Human Infected that we've come across since we were on the road, we don't know exactly what to do in this kind of situation, especially with the other monsters that are with him and that are a big problem.

“And how are we supposed to kill this thing?” Zoro Intervenes with a bored look. 

“I don't think you guys are strong enough to take on that many monsters besides him," he says. 

“Let's just keep kicking it until they don't get up again,” Luffy comments.

I sigh. No one raised, he never understands when it's time to get serious and give relevant ideas, but we're used to it.

“What do you suggest, then?” I ask Law.

**~O~**

After explaining my plan to the others, I climb on the roof of the bus which continues on its way to prepare myself. I've recovered quite a bit of my abilities over the last few days and I'm happy to see I'm able to use my powers again, even if it's a lot more tiring than usual. I would have preferred to save my strength during the trip to Grand Line so that I could have been able to escape from the Mugiwara before we arrive in town, but in this case I have no choice. If I don't help them against this creature we're all dead.

I close my eyes to concentrate and try to find out where that monster is. I spot it after a few seconds, the sounds of its footsteps are recognizable from the four-legged beasts that follow it. It is not far away. My hands shake, I clench my fists and breathe deeply to chase away the fear mixed with the rage that invades me. I have no desire to see one of those monsters again, not so soon...

“Oi, up there!” Zoro calls out to me, taking me out of my thoughts. “I don't know if you're aware of it, but we're in a bit of a rush!”

I open my eyes and indeed, in front of us a wall of creatures has formed a little more than three hundred feet away. The bus is going as fast as the road allows, so I have a few seconds to do what I have to do. 

I concentrate and gather all the energy I can before I create a Room that encompasses everything up to these monsters and pull out my blade. I slice the air in front of me and watch all the Infected get cut in half before falling to my knees, suddenly exhausted. The bus has a few jolts as it rolls over the dozens of corpses but it passes without any problems. 

I catch my breath, get back on my feet and create a new and bigger Room to slice up everything within a radius of several hundred feet around us and have a clearer view. I can hear the clumsy footsteps of the Infected trying not to get caught by the trees falling on them. Some manage to do so, but others who are not so lucky find themselves crushed underneath. 

Thanks to this, the number of our pursuers drops drastically, there is only a group of about twenty individuals who managed to escape my attack and are still following us. The others have either been cut in half or crushed, or they no longer have enough energy to follow us. I smile at this observation but my head starts to spin because of the effort and I lean on my sword so as not to fall down again. 

I see a drop of blood fall at my feet and curse inside, normally this kind of attack doesn't require much effort but because of the last few days I'm still struggling. I wipe my nose on the lapel of my sleeve and breathe deeply before straightening up after a few seconds, then I notice there is nothing following us anymore. 

There's no more noise except for the one produced by the bus, there are no more Infected around. The group inside must also notice the absence of these monsters because they all sigh with relief and one of them, probably Luffy, starts to laugh before receiving a blow. As for me I remain on my guard, it is not normal that they gave up so easily. The Human Infected wouldn't have given up like that without a reason. 

“Law,” Sanji calls, sticking his head through the hatch behind me. “What are you doing? Come back inside.”

I probe the surroundings one last time before preparing to follow him when suddenly a movement in front of us attracts my attention. I don't have time to make a sound before something hits the front of the bus head-on. The bus stops dead in its tracks and I am thrown forward because of the impact. I only have time to see what caused it before painfully landing on the ground several feet away and hoping the others are okay.

I'm breathless from the impact but I raise my head and grunt in pain to see the extent of the damage: the bus is overturned on the ground, the front completely destroyed but I manage to hear the Mugiwara inside, they all look alive but I also see a silhouette slowly approaching the vehicle on the ground.

I try to get up quickly but my leg hurts because of my fall and is slipping away under my weight. I probably hit my head when I landed, I can feel blood running down my temple and down my cheek. Even so, I get back on my feet and limp as fast as I can to the bus to hope to do something.

“Sanji-ya, Zoro-ya, Mugiwara-ya!” I scream. “Get out of there quickly!”

The Human Infected who attacked turns to me but quickly ignores me to resume his progress. I hear Zoro's voice and a moment later the clattering of his blades. I then see him leaving the bus by the back with a jump at the same time as the Infected and I rush towards them to kill this monster. 

Practically none of our blows manage to touch him, frustration rises and I feel like screaming when I see the beast in front of me avoiding my blade almost every time. I can still feel my sword touch it more than once so I continue to split the air hoping to slice it in half. He pushes me back with force but Zoro rushes him immediately and I can see from the corner of my eye everyone is out of the bus and seems to be alive. 

As I rush again on our enemy I am joined by Sanji and Luffy, who start attacking him too. At four to one we are still having a hard time hitting him but I feel we have the advantage, he has no time to attack. I also see the other three try to get his attention as soon as he turns away from them to prevent him from attacking the others. They would be killed in an instant if the Infected decides to ignore us for good.

“Usopp, Brook, Franky!” Zoro calls all of a sudden without even turning to his friends. “Infected coming in from the left, take care of it!”

I can't see them but I hear them slaughtering the creatures, they're not Mercenaries but they seem to be able to manage relatively well on their own so I prefer to stay focused on my fight. 

After a while I'm exhausted. I feel like the Infected is laughing at us and I want to end it all so I'm desperately going after him. I nearly get my stomach ripped open by the monster's claws in front of us when I am pulled back by Luffy before he touches me. With his elastic body he manages to grab the creature's arm with his own by wrapping it around it, preventing it from moving properly and it doesn't take more to the other two to finish him off.

Sanji sends a powerful knee blow to his head to stun him then Zoro comes behind and cuts his head off. It falls to the ground in a disgusting noise, followed by the rest of the body which collapses in front of us.

“That was close Doc,” Zoro mocks, approching me while putting his katanas away. “You would have had your guts spilled if Luffy wasn't here.”

I give him an annoyed look but he's not wrong so I don't answer his taunting, I just sigh as I look at the bloody carcass of the Infected, satisfied to see him in this state.

**~O~**

Once everything is calm, I light a cigarette and blow a cloud of smoke before looking at my comrades.

“Luffy!” Chopper's voice comes from the other side of the bus. “Come quickly!”

He hurries and we follow him too, the desperate tone of Chopper making me fear the worst. 

As we get to the other side, the first thing I notice is Chopper's crying face and the serious expression of the others around him. Our young doctor is crouching next to Franky, who is sitting on the ground holding his right arm with a grimace of pain and I can see why when I see the pool of blood starting to form next to him. I go to his side, putting one hand on his other shoulder.

“What happened?” I ask, worried.

“The Infected,” Usopp answers with tears in his eyes. “When Zoro warned us, we managed to kill four or five of them but another one arrived behind me and... I didn't react fast enough so Franky protected me... and... it's my fault, I'm sorry...”

“It's not your fault, Usopp,” Nami says, trying to reassure him. “You'd have done the same for him.”

“I don't know what to do,” Chopper cries. He raises his head towards us like searching for a solution. “I can't cure this...”

“Let me see.”

Law, who's been quiet so far, comes up to Franky and looks at his arm. He then raises one hand above his wound and a sort of bluish bubble like the one I saw earlier appears around our friend's forearm. He seems to inspect Franky's arm for a few seconds with a serious look before looking up at Chopper.

“Treating the bite of an Infected is impossible, even for me," he says. “The infection spreads quickly, if we don't remove the affected part as soon as possible it will be too late for him.”

“Remove? But we can't do that here!” Chopper exclaims. “We're totally not equipped to do this now and-”

“If we don't act now, he's dead anyway.”

With these words he grabs his katana and before we could make the slightest protest, the bubble grew bigger and he cut Franky's arm off in front of our shocked eyes, Nami and Usopp even shouted a cry of surprise. A second later, Zoro grabs him and slams him against the bus with a thud.

“Are you crazy?” He gets angry, ready to hit him. “Chopper said we can't!”

“Hey, calm down, Marimo!” I throw, getting close to separate them.

“I'm not stupid,” Law answers, pushing him away. “He's all right.”

Now that he said that, it's true that not a drop of blood has flowed except for the puddle caused by the bite on the arm now on the ground. My gaze shifts from the limb on the ground to Franky who stares at what's left of his arm cut above the elbow, as shocked as we are, before landing on Law.

“How- ?” I'm stunned by what I've just seen. “How did you do that?”

“Ope Ope no Mi,” Chopper annonces.

I turn to him with an interrogative look, wanting to know more. I suspect Law's strange powers must have come from a Demon Fruit, but I don't know this one. I take another look at Law, but now that Zoro has let him go, Law just looks at the ground with his arms crossed on his chest. Obviously he doesn't intend to explain things himself.

“When Sanji told me Law's name I knew I heard it somewhere before but I couldn't remember where," Chopper who has now stopped crying, continues. “Now it's coming back to me, at the time my father already told me about this Fruit so I gathered informations around about its owner and that's when I heard it!”

My eyes drift back to the dark haired man again as Chopper explains what this Fruit does. He is still looking at the ground with an impassive look on his face like he is not involved in the conversation, but he must have felt my gaze on him because he raises his eyes to me so I lower mine.

“Anyway, we have to get out of here,” Zoro concludes. “If we stay here too long we'll end up attracting other Infected, they're not that far away.”

“And how are we going to do that?” Usopp gestures towards the upside down vehicle. “The bus is dead! We'll never make it through the night on foot.”

“Could you see if the motorcycles are still usable?” Nami asks.

After a second he nods and leaves for the back of the bus while Brook and I help Franky to get back on his feet.

“You're not in pain, Franky?”

“No, it feels a bit weird but I'm super,” he says with a weary smile. “I'll just have to cobble together a replacement arm when we get into town, don't worry about me.”

I nod my head, reassured. For someone so manual losing an arm must be difficult but I'm not too worried about him, he'll find a solution in no time. Usopp comes back a few seconds later.

“Guys,” he says. “I've got good news and bad news.” 

“Cut to the chase, Usopp, we don't have time,” Nami grunts as she runs a hand over her face as if exhausted.

“All right, all right... We've got seven working bikes but only five have fuel and the cans we had in reserve have all emptied out on the ground, we've got nothing left. We should still be able to get away from here but I don't think we can get very far.”

“Then let's go," Luffy orders.

We get what we can in the bus in terms of provisions and other things but now that we only have bikes, we can't be that loaded and we've just extended our trip by several days. After that we get on our bikes and leave quickly, hoping not to be attacked for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for today, I hope you liked this chapter! You know how it goes, see you next week ! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii ! Here's the 5th chapter, enjoy ~

The bikes broke down in the middle of the night and most importantly in the middle of nowhere. We've been able to do maybe another sixty miles or so thanks to them, but now we have no choice but to continue on foot by flashlight since then and there are still at least four hours to go before daybreak. 

Everyone is stressed, which I can understand, but once it's daylight we will be able to take a break, the Infected are a little less active during the day and even if there are some, we can see them early enough to deal with them safely. For now, we need to focus on our hearing and smell to spot them. In the meantime we walk. 

The cold is a bit unpleasant but I only hope it won't rain because besides reducing our visibility, the noise and the smell of rain would prevent us from spotting possible dangers effectively and we don't need that for the moment.

“I'm tired of walking," Usopp complains. “Sanji, will you carry me?”

“Sure, can I do anything else for you while I'm at it?” He sighs, ironic. “You're walking, like everyone else... On the other hand Nami-san, Robin-chan I can carry you if you want!”

“That's okay, thanks Sanji-kun,” the redhead says.

“Thanks for the offer, but it wouldn't be fair if we didn't walk too.”

“Zoro's carrying Chopper,” Usopp continues to grumble, but walks nonetheless.

“The Moss Head does what he wants, just ask him to carry you too if you're so tired.”

At the back of the group, I listen to the rest of their conversation with one ear, I prefer to concentrate on the surrounding noises to avoid us having new problems but for the moment I only hear the normal night life of the forest, insects and some birds. I find it hard to realize they are still bickering like this after what just happened. It's not as if they were attacked by a horde of Infected and could have died...

I still don't fully understand what happened. It's not uncommon for groups or packs to form, but I'm really sure they were obeying and following the other one... 

Then the fact that this Infected clearly set a trap for us is strange, it couldn't be a coincidence that he ended up in the middle of the road. They may be smart but to a certain extent, ambushing us shouldn't have been within their reach. They remain unemotional monsters who savagely attack humans.

“Oi, Tra-o, let's take a break!” Mugiwara shout, taking my mind off it.

I don't even react to this nickname, I tried to protest for the first three days but it didn't lead to anything so now I don't even care. I just nod my head, put my sword against a tree and sit back a bit while the others put down their backpacks full to bursting point with a sigh. 

“We'll have to go see Rayleigh,” Nami sighs as she sits on the ground. “Maybe he can help us put some parts together so we can rebuild a vehicle.”

“Don't worry, when we get to the city I'll craft us a Suuuper new bus! Even better than the one we had!”

“Nami,” Chopper calls. “How long will it take us to get to the city on foot? How much further is it?

She grabs her bag and pulls out a map that she looks at for a few seconds before answering her friend. “I think it's going to take us about ten days, maybe a week if we're quick," she ends up answering.

Over the last few days I've spent some time thinking about what I'm going to do. It would be a piece of cake to walk away from the Mugiwara now that we were on foot, and the thought of leaving like that during the night had occurred to me, but something, I don't know what, prevented me from doing so. 

I look up to observe them while I think. They are strong and can manage, but it would be ungrateful of me to abandon them when they might need me during the trip, I hate having debts and it seems a just thank you for saving me so... Besides, I don't have anything but my weapon with me, I need equipment to survive so it's not possible anyway. Besides, once you're used to it, the company's not that bad after all...

It's probably better to part with them once we get to town. I could leave them when we get there and look for something useful and then I'll see what I can do. One thing's for sure, I'm going to get back to the surface as soon as possible, anything would be better than staying underground like a rat anyway.

“Still all alone in your corner, I see.”

I look up at Sanji standing in front of me, I didn't even hear him approaching. He sits down next to me, against the tree too.

“Are you okay?” He asks. “You're still covered in blood.”

“I'm not bleeding anymore.”

“And your leg?”

“It'll be healed by daybreak, I won't slow you down.”

“I didn't mean it like that...”

I turn to him, I feel like he's looking at me worriedly, like you would with a comrade. “I almost feel like you're worried about me,” I say with a chuckle.

“I am, why don't you come with us?” He adds after a few seconds. 

“Are you afraid I'll get lonely?” I look at him, I don't know why he wants to take care of me like he does.

“Oh I'm not worried about you, I understand you're more the quiet type. Besides, I know we can be quite intrusive at times...”

I'm not contradicting him, I don't want to tell him I've been thinking about the best way to run from them since I was with them. 

“Thank you," he says suddenly. “For what you did earlier.”

“You thank me for cutting off your friend's arm?” I'm surprised. “It's rather unusual.”

“No! Well, in a way yes, without you he would have suffered more than that and would have certainly died before we got to town, but I was talking about the help you gave us to defeat those monsters. I don't know if we would have survived without you, so thank you.”

“It was a half selfish action so there's no need to thank me, if you would have died at that time I would too “I respond, leaning my head against the tree behind me. “And if I'm still here it's thanks to you, let's just say that we're even now.”

I can hear him laughing softly beside me but I stay silent, my eyes raised to the treetops.

“Come on, why don't you admit that you like us a little bit anyway?” His tone is light, I can hear he's smiling.

“It's not like we're going to be friends by the time we get to Grand Line,” I sigh. “What's the point? Once we get there our paths will part and we'll probably never see each other again.”

“It doesn't have to be that way.”

“The world is a big place, and we're not likely to see each other again after that.”

He doesn't answer, but he doesn't move either. In less than two weeks, everyone will go their own way again. There's no point in me getting closer to them, it's not as if I'm going to stay with their group.

I don't even know what I'm going to do afterwards, I'm on my own but I don't intend to recruit some poor guys in town and form a group again so I'll probably stay alone for a while. I don't want it to end the way it did last time and there's no way I'm going to stay underground so that's my best option right now. 

After a few more minutes of rest it's time to get back on the road.

A few hours later my leg is already free of pain and daylight is finally starting to arrive, which is a relief for everyone. Once the sun rises and now that we are far enough away from where we were attacked, the Mugiwara begin to set up camp near a stream to rest. 

Unfortunately, their big tent had to be abandoned along with the bus so the camp is reduced to sleeping bags in an apparently smaller "backup" tent. 

Everyone goes in and lies down, except Zoro, who sits on the ground next to it to stand guard. As for me, I'm not used to sleeping much, I always have to be on the lookout in normal times so I'm not sleepy. Anyway I can't sleep because of nightmares these days.

“Law,” Chopper calls me as he was going to enter the tent. “Are you still hurt?”

I shake my head in response. My leg doesn't hurt anymore and my head wound is almost closed.

“Good, but you still have a lot of blood on your face,” he joins the others. “You should clean yourself up and get some sleep too.”

“Thanks, Tony-ya.”

He turns his heels and I walk to a corner of the tent where there's a bowl full of water and towels. From what I understand, it was the bus that provided them with hot running water and some electricity so the shower is no longer an option. Without this vehicle, they only have this small but comfortable normal tent, even if they had to abandon their larger equipment with the bus in question. 

In the small mirror miraculously intact on the floor, I see that indeed almost half my face and part of my hair are covered with dried blood. As I sigh, I grab a white cloth and dip it in water before rubbing my face. Then I take the opportunity to shave, something I haven't done for more than two weeks and I frankly don't like the look on my face. 

By digging a little I manage to find a blade that does the job and I manage to trim my beard. Once clean and shaved, the cloth and the water in the basin are dyed red so I go out and empty it before refilling it. After that I sit and wait.

In the quiet I can hear Zoro's breathing outside as well as the breathing of the others who all seem to be asleep, except for one whose breathing is not as regular as the others.

**~O~**

I can't sleep and I don't know why, perhaps the fear of being attacked again without being prepared. So I've been thinking about what happened and what we're going to do once we get to town. First we will have to go and see Rayleigh, he will surely be able to help us to find a new vehicle to repair for our expeditions on the surface and a prosthesis for Franky. I will also have to visit the old man, if he finds out I went to Grand Line without coming to see him I am a dead man and I will hear about it for the rest of my life.

My thoughts then drift to Law, wondering what he's going to do when our paths part, if he has anyone to see. There is little chance that he will answer me if I ask him the question so I won't, but I still wonder. He seems to be a very lonely person so I doubt he has a lot of friends to visit, especially considering what he told me a few hours earlier...

Nevertheless I can understand him. Not wanting to get attached to people is a common thing these days, people we care about can die at any time. Being a Mercenary or at least being part of a group is a dangerous activity and unfortunately in the state I found him and with the little he told me I have a good idea of why Law is no longer with his group, even if he doesn't want to talk about it. 

When he is alone I can see he has a sad look in his eyes, he is always immersed in his thoughts. That's why I try to talk to him and sympathize with him, especially when he pushes me away, it's as if something is pushing me to do it. 

He probably wouldn't like it, but to us, he's like a new member of our group of crazy people. We helped him and even though he does everything he can to keep as much distance from us as possible I know he's not bad, otherwise he wouldn't have helped us against those Infected that night like he did.

I sigh. I'm thinking too much about Law and I'm getting myself all worked up over nothing. In a week or two he'll be leaving us and as he said there's little chance we'll ever see him again so there's no point in staying on this for that long. This idea makes me strangely sad, I've easily got used to his presence among us and I want to get to know him better than that. I shake my head, turn round and close my eyes in the hope of falling asleep quickly in spite of Luffy's snoring all over the tent.

I managed to sleep a little bit but am woken up as usual by Luffy's shouts and Nami's telling him to lower his voice. Knowing I won't be able to sleep any more because of the hubbub I get up and join the others. I then notice Law's change of style: no more badly trimmed beard, only a goatee on his chin that makes him look younger. 

I grab something quick to eat and we leave barely an hour later, in the early afternoon. The good mood has returned. It's as if nothing happened yesterday and as we walk I can even hear Usopp and Franky discussing the various changes they'll be making to his future arm when he gets one. 

We were lucky this story ended so well and I'm aware it wouldn't have been the case if Law hadn't been there. I don't know if we can handle a hundred Infected by ourselves and I don't feel like testing to find out so I'm glad he was there. 

I wonder all the more about the conditions in which he was bitten if he's able to take down several dozen monsters and everything around him with a single blow of the blade. I turn my eyes towards him, at the back of the group as usual, alone. 

I haven't tried to find out more about his life since the day I found him half dead, but now that he's a little less hostile towards us, maybe I can try again. I don't want to be intrusive but I would like to understand him better, why not even help him... and if he refuses to answer then I won't insist. 

I slow down to find myself at his level, in other words, a good twenty feet behind, but he doesn't even raise his head towards me and I suddenly feel like an idiot. I look up at the others in front but nobody seems to be interested in us: Luffy's fooling around with Usopp and Brook followed by Franky, the girls are talking and Zoro is about a dozen steps ahead with Chopper. 

I turn my attention to the dark-haired guy next to me but seeing he doesn't seem to want to talk I almost lose the courage to question him.

“What's going on, Sanji-ya?” He finally asks after several seconds looking at me.

“Um, nothing special, why?”

“Say what you have to say, I won't bite,” he smiles. “I can see something's bothering you.”

Well, I may not be the most discreet person in the world when I have something to say, but I'm surprised he noticed it.

“I wanted to know...” I begin, hesitating and searching for my words. “How you got here.”

“Be more specific.”

“Well... I was wondering, how did you get bitten and separated from your group? With abilities like yours...”

I see the question doesn't really enchant him, I feel like his gaze veiled in a second when the words came out of my mouth and I also think I see guilt in his eyes. I must have brought up some bad memories that are still fresh and I immediately feel bad, I regret having opened my mouth.

“I'm sorry,” I say right away. “I shouldn't have asked the question, you don't have to answer me if you don't want to.”

“They're dead," he says a long time later, when I thought I wasn't going to get an answer.

I stop dead while he keeps walking. I didn't really expect any other answer than this one, but my chest tightens up anyway. To be honest I didn't think he was going to answer me anything, but although it's the only plausible reason I feel like I've been hit in the stomach. 

I start trotting my way back to catch up with him but don't ask him any more questions and we remain in an unpleasant silence for a long time. I don't know what to do or to say to make it less awkward, I sometimes give him a few glances but he looks at me with an impassive look on his face. 

My curiosity pushes me to ask him for details, like how he had survived, but it's still too early for that, I know it. I'm already happy he opened up a little to me with just these few words so I don't add anything.

“Don't make that face Sanji-ya,” he says. “What's done is done, you can't do anything about it and neither can I.”

I don't answer but as I raise my head towards him I meet his steely gaze upon me. He is the one who has lost, I suppose, the totality of the people important to him and he is the one who comforts me, it's the world upside down... But I don't know what to say to him after all, I can't tell him I understand because it's not true so I prefer to keep silent. I put my head down again and we go on our way.

I don't try to ask Law questions again but that doesn't stop my brain from spinning at full speed, which almost get me into trouble because I didn't even notice the small group of Infected that approached us. Luffy, Zoro and Law spotted them immediately but I stay put like the others while the trio kills the creatures. 

Zoro yells at me, of course, so after that I push my thoughts back into a corner of my head and focus instead on what's around us. I can't allow myself to think about anything else when we can be attacked at any moment, even though three other people can warn us of the presence of monsters. 

We continue our walk until nightfall, where we stop and take a little rest in preparation for the night ahead. Now that we are vulnerable, we have to be constantly on the lookout to see if we are in danger, especially during the night. Fortunately, apart from a few isolated animals, we have no problem until the sun rises again to start its course, just like us. 

This pattern repeats itself for eight days, we have to hunt for the last three days because Luffy obviously doesn't understand what rationing means and I let my guard down, allowing him to empty what little reserve we had during the night. Luckily we are used to it and Usopp is an excellent archer so hunting is not such an unpleasant chore with him.

During these eight days, I was able to talk with Law, just like the others and I am really happy to see we can talk normally with him because two weeks earlier, he was extremely suspicious and only spoke when necessary. At that time, Usopp and Chopper didn't come within ten feet of him and Zoro always had one hand on the handle of his swords. Today even the Marimo was relaxed in his presence and the help he gave us during the trip was not for nothing.

I discovered a little bit more of him and learned that behind this mask of coldness, he was someone more teasing than I thought and I was several times amused by his exchanges with Usopp or Zoro because he knows how to handle sarcasm when he wants to. 

Finally, on the ninth day, exhausted, we reach the barriers announcing we are approaching Grand Line and supposed to prevent the Infected from getting through in order to create a secured perimeter. I see Law casting a nasty glance at the fence before it opens to let us through, opening the way for us to get to the city that is home to the majority of the surviving humans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as usual I hope you liked it and I see you again next week to see how our little group will do in Grand Line ! :) Have a nice day/night !


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii ! So today we see how it goes in Grand Line, enjoy ~ :D

Just after we pass through the doors, they close and four armed guards approach us and ask for our identities.

“And who are you?” One of them asks me when the Mugiwara have finished identifying themselves.

“Trafalgar Law,” I answer in a cold tone.

I look him in the eye, defying his gaze. If he thinks he is intimidating me he is mistaken, for me the guards are nothing more than Mercenaries too fearful to venture outside the protected area of Grand Line and I despise them for being such cowards. He finally turns away to concentrate on his list before looking up at me.

“It's been a hell of a long time since you've been back in town. Where's your group, Trafalgar? You're not part of this one.”

“I'm alone at the moment and I don't have to report to you, so open up now.”

I sense he doesn't appreciate my repartee and doesn't care. He has to understand he won't get a better answer because after one last bad look at me he turns away from us and signals to the others to open the second gate. We cross and three hundred feet further on, the first constructions of the tunnel leading underground enter our field of vision in the middle of the trees. 

There, other guards and doctors are waiting for us. They are responsible for checking that everyone entering here is not infected. It would be a disaster if an Infected entered Grand Line so if a person has the slightest bite they are taken away and most certainly executed on the spot without any further trial. 

They look at us one at a time and when it is my turn, even though they do not make any questions or comments about the scar I have I see them exchanging some interrogative glances. I even see one of them writing something on a piece of paper before giving it to a guard who immediately leaves but doesn't pay any more attention to it than that. 

As my wound was healed and I have no symptoms of infection I am above suspicion, fortunately for me. So we can continue on our way.

We are rushing into a tunnel wide enough for a truck to easily enter and lit by lamps hanging over our heads. We walk another couple hundred feet or so before reaching the huge wooden and steel elevator that takes us to the city. 

No one has said a word since we entered the walls of human civilization and as we descend into the dark passage the silence seems more and more unpleasant to me, it is rare that the Mugiwara are calm for so long.

After a few minutes of slow descent, light comes below us and a few seconds later, Grand Line appears before our eyes, nearly five hundred yards lower with its immense World Government Tower at its center. 

It's been more than a year since I've had this sight of the city stretching under my feet and slowly approaching, but I must admit I haven't missed it. Several million people live there, I can see them in the widest streets, a stream of people living their lives without ever having seen what the outside looked like. I find it sad.

I can't appreciate the view of these imposing buildings reflecting the daylight brought by the huge hole dug above the city because I know what's hiding in the middle of it all.

While most of the Mercenaries live their lives and fight on the surface, a good number do not tire and have taken over the poorest areas of the city, causing unnecessary clashes among civilians and these people disgust me. Because of them many have lost everything they owned and nobody cares. 

The World Government is perfectly aware of what has been happening for years but nobody is doing anything to solve the situation. I clench my fists unconsciously while memories of what my life here was like come back to me.

“Everything all right, Law?” Sanji asks a worried look.

I nod and smile to reassure him. He doesn't seem very convinced but doesn't add anything. During the short time I spent with them, all the Mugiwara were pretty nice to me, some more than others but Sanji always seems to care about my state of mind more than the others. 

His look when I told him what happened to my group is proof of that. I'm starting to like them all but he's certainly the closest thing I have to a friend now that I'm alone and I'm a bit sad to know I'm going to leave their group of idiots without getting to know them a little more. After all, maybe it's for the best.

The elevator finally arrives downstairs several minutes later and Mugiwara comes running out, followed by the rest of us.

“Okay,” Nami begins. “Where do we start? We've got a lot of things to do.”

“I say we start with Rayleigh,” Usopp says. “We need to inquire about a new vehicle, but we don't have a lot to trade in to buy one...”

“Alright, Usopp you go and check with Franky,” she orders. “Sanji-kun and Chopper, I'm counting on you to stock up on food and medicine. Brook, Luffy, do what you want but please keep an eye on Zoro, I don't want to look for him everywhere.”

“Hey!” Zoro frowns. “And can you tell us what you're going to do?”

“Shopping with Robin, of course! See you tonight at Shakky's!”

If I didn't know the boss was actually Luffy, I'd think she was in charge, but given his level of irresponsibility, it wasn't a bad thing for someone else to take charge. 

Everyone starts going in different directions but Sanji turns to me.

“What are you going to do?” He asks me.

“I'm not sure yet,” I answer with a shrug. “I'm probably going to see some old acquaintances and quickly find everything I need to go back up there.”

“Come with us tonight if you want,” the redhead suggests, turning to me. “We're going to the Rip-off Bar in the Shabondy district.”

“We'll have a goodbye party for Tra-o!" Luffy exclaims.

“All right, I'll come,” I say after a moment's hesitation. I don't plan on leaving tonight anyway.

“I'll see you then!” Usopp says, going off in one direction with Franky.

The others follow, Sanji lights a cigarette and gives me a friendly pat on the back with a smile before turning his heels too to follow Chopper. I watch him walk away and disappear into the crowd then I move too to hopefully find a way to get out of here as quickly as possible.

**~O~**

Chopper and I were assigned to do the shopping so we walk the streets of Longtown, the city's most important shopping district, our arms loaded with bags full of food and ingredients for remedies and poultices. 

It's nice to get back to the safe and lively atmosphere of the city, I always loved smelling all the scents from the different stalls and seeing all the people around me. Although fresh ingredients are rarer, and therefore more expensive, there are plenty of them and many people hurry to buy them. 

During our explorations we don't meet many people, the only people we are likely to cross path with are other Mercenaries and often they are not very friendly and it ends badly. Here, even if people are not necessarily happy with their fate, they are safe and there is a certain serenity I appreciate.

I know we don't all think the same way, from the look on his face when we arrived I have the feeling Law doesn't share the same point of view as I do. I still don't know why, but he's not happy to be here. I blow out a cloud of smoke when I sigh, there's no point in thinking about it.

“Hey, what do you think he's gonna do?”

Chopper's question get me out of my thoughts.

“What ? Who?”

“Law, what do you think he's gonna do when he won't be with us anymore?”

“I don't think he's gonna stay here.” I think for a moment. “He'll probably come up to the surface quickly and do whatever he was doing before.”

“It's too bad, I was beginning to like him," he says, disappointed.

“Yeah, me too.”

I take a drag again and blow the smoke in a sigh.

“Do you think if we asked him he'd stay?” He wonders with a hopeful look in his eyes. “I'm sure he was fine with us and it's dangerous up there alone, even for him.”

“I don't know, you'll just have to ask him tonight I guess.”

I smile at him, it's true that the idea of Law staying is appealing. After the time he's already spent with us, it's as if he's already part of the Mugiwara too. All that remains is to see if he sees things the way we do. 

At his request a few days ago we already agreed to keep secret the fact he was bitten, so he doesn't intend to stay at Grand Line and in and of itself, he can come with us, can't he?

“Well, we're done here,” I declare. “Do you mind if I let you go to Shakky's alone? We're not far from The Baratie so I'd like to go and see the old man.”

“No, go ahead!” He answers with a smile. “Tell him hello for me, I'm going to Rayleigh's to see if Usopp and Franky are still there.”

He greets me, takes all the bags and turns back towards Shabondy and I take the direction of the place where I grew up. It's only a few blocks away, on one of the main squares of the town. 

Just a few minutes later, I find myself in front of the imposing green and fish-headed building of the Baratie with a smile on my face. I spent twelve years of my life there and learned to love cooking from Zeff and his cooks in this kitchen. As I push the door open, a multitude of memories assail me and a good smell comes from the kitchen. I haven't been here for months.

“Hello, what can I... Hey! Look who's here! We thought you were dead by now.”

I turn my head to see Patty, obviously in charge of greeting customers for the day. After all this time, I'm even glad to see him again.

“What are you talking about?” I say as he gives me a big pat on the shoulder. “It's not a few Infected who'll get the better of me.”

“Hey, Sanji," Carne exclaims as he comes out of the kitchen. “Not dead yet?”

“Oi,” I know they're messing with me but I don't like them thinking I'll die easily. “Stop thinking that! I'll kick your ass, we'll see who's dead!”

“What the hell is this mess?” A voice shouts from the kitchen, covering the laughter of the other two. “Don't you have customers to serve?”

A few seconds later, Zeff comes out of the kitchen, he hasn't changed since the last time I saw him. His gaze shifts from Carne to me and then he smiles as he walks towards us.

“Glad to see you're still alive, you little brat!” He smiles.

“Me too, K'so Jiji.”

Happy to find him again, I take him in my arms for a hug before heading to the kitchens with him. There I tell him everything that happened since we last saw each other and even help him prepare dishes that need to be served. 

Being able to chat and cook with him in this setting takes me back years ago, to when he used to teach me how to handle a knife or how to fight. It was a good time, I remember how happy I was to learn so much, even though Zeff was not the most forgiving teacher there was.

All this was before Luffy came along and said he needed a cook for his group of Mercenaries and it was even Zeff who encouraged me to go along with him. I didn't regret having left but I miss him sometimes so as soon as we're back in town I stop by the Baratie to say hello to him and the guys.

I stay a few hours there and when I go out the night has already fallen, I didn't even see the time go by. I greet everyone and promise to come back before leaving again to the surface and leave the restaurant lighting a cigarette and taking the direction of Shabondy to join the others. 

There are much less people in the streets at this hour, the shops are already closed and most people have already gone home to this part of town. In spite of this, I meet a few people as well as groups of guards talking with those who have not yet returned home or knocking on doors. 

They seem to be looking for something or someone, they have sheets of paper in their hands and seem to be questioning people. I observe a group of guards showing a document to a man, so I don't look ahead of me when I jostle another guard lost in his papers, which scatter on the ground.

“I'm sorry,” I look at the guard, already on his knees to pick up his things. “Let me help you...”

I bend over to help him and pick up a bunch of papers when I notice the picture on what happens to be a wanted poster. I frown as I recognize the person in the picture and then read what's written underneath: "Wanted. Alive. Trafalgar Law. "along with a sizeable bounty on his head. I freeze for several seconds before returning the papers to the man I bumped into.

“Thank you,” he says. “You haven't seen this man by any chance, have you? He arrived at Grand Line today with a group of mercenaries.”

“No,” I try to keep a neutral tone. “I've never seen him before.”

“All right, if you see him, please notify a guard as soon as possible.”

“Why is he wanted?” I ask, keeping a detached attitude and hoping he doesn't get suspicious. 

“I can't share details with a civilian, but he's a very dangerous individual. Please stay away from him.”

With those words, he passes me and leaves without wasting any time. I don't understand why Law is wanted, according to what he told us he hasn't been back in town for almost two years and I have never seen a wanted poster in his name until now so these must be from today. The picture seems to be is a recent one, probably taken without his knowledge by one of the guards when we were going through the checkpoints before entering the city. 

Once I'm far enough away from the guard I talked to I start running to join the others at our rendezvous point, I have a very bad feeling about this but hopefully nobody has gone after Law yet.

**~O~**

Just after leaving the Mugiwara, I walk aimlessly, following the movement of the people for almost an hour before moving away from the overcrowded streets to a less crowded and especially less respectable area. Unfortunately what I need seems to be found only here. 

In the dark arteries of Whiskey Peak, it doesn't take me that long to get what I'm looking for. I don't have any money so I threaten the first guy I meet to get the ingredients I need for the remedies I prepare. There are only bounty hunters and low level brigands here so I have no qualms about doing this kind of thing to these people. 

When I finish my shopping, it's still a little too early to join the others in Shabondy so I wander around a moment and enter the first bar I come across. There, I recognize a few faces and I feel their eyes on me when I go to the counter to have a drink but I ignore them. I take my drink and go sit at an empty table in a corner when an unpleasant voice resounds next to me.

“Well, well, well, do you guys see the same thing I do?” The voice taunts. “I must be seeing ghosts!”

I take a sip while ignoring the man but I know he's not going to leave me alone just like that, he is too annoying for that.

“Oi, Trafalgar,” he calls me but I don't want to talk to him. “What the hell are you doing here? I thought you never come down to the city.”

I give him a look saying I don't feel like arguing with him, but he gets up and stands in front of me banging on my table. All the other creeps in the bar are now following our exchange and this idiot likes to have an audience so he does his best to get on my nerves.

“Eustass-ya,” I spit his name when I finally look up at him. “What do you want from me? Last time I saw you, you were taking yourself for a powerful leader in a ruined old town, you finally found someone stronger than you and came back down here?”

“I'm surprised to see you here," his smile isn't friendly but he ignors my remark. “What happened to the rest of your group? They finally got tired of your ugly face and left you behind, didn't they?”

“Don't talk about them. It's none of your business, so now get out of here and let me finish my drink in peace.”

That's the last person who should be talking about them. I see him clenching his fists and his huge metal hand bangs into the table less than a second later, destroying it and sending my drink flying to the ground. Far from being impressed, I look up at his face. 

“I think it's very cocky of you to show up here in your situation and disrespect me," he scolded.

I frown. What's so special about my situation? He has to understand I don't know what he's talking about because he takes a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and hands it to me. It's a wanted poster with my name on it.

“What the hell is this?” I ask, reading the paper.

“That's what I was gonna ask you,” he says. “I don't know what you've been up to, but apparently the news has been flying around town since this afternoon.”

Indeed, I've only been in town for a few hours and there's already a bounty on my head for a good sum and for some reason I don't know. 

“And you intend to take me back to those idiots of the World Government?” I sign condescendingly, throwing the sheet to the ground. “Because if you don't, I have more important things to do than talk to you.”

“And what do you think we're all here for?” He retorts with a predatory smile.

I barely have time to move before his metal fist destroys the chair where I was sitting a second earlier. I draw my sword and slice off the arm of a man who was running towards me and create a Room to cut in half three other guys with guns at the other end of the bar room before coming out. 

I start running through the deserted alleyways, soon followed by Kidd and his men, engaging in a chase. I never got along with this idiot, but I never thought he would hate me enough to turn me in to the World Government. Although after careful consideration, the two hundred million Berrys bonus must not have had much trouble convincing him. That's not surprising, but I'm still a bit disappointed. What annoys me the most is that I don't know why I”m wanted for, I didn't do anything wrong. 

I narrowly dodge a sword that was about to crash into my back before jumping off the rooftops, almost getting shot, but I return the bullets to the people who fired them. 

“Don't let him get away, guys!” I can hear the redhead screaming behind me. “I've been waiting too long for a reason to beat him up!”

He can still dream. I make a Room appear big enough and swap him with me. So he finds himself a few dozen feet in front of me while I appear in the middle of his men. I take advantage of their incomprehension to kill them with my sword before swapping places again and resuming my race. Looking over my shoulder I can see the angry look on his face as he pulls the weapons of his companions to throw them at me.

A blade cuts into my thigh but it's nothing, it will probably be healed an hour later so I continue on my way without worrying about it. I dodge as best I can the mass of blades and pistols that come at me as I head towards the more frequented avenues. Eustass Kidd may be a bastard and a fool but he wouldn't risk being chased by the guards for killing civilians, at least I hope not.

I feel my katana is attracted to him and strengthen my grip on it as I get closer to the Longtown district. Another few hundred feet and I'll manage to lose him. Unfortunately I am already getting tired but I am redoubling my efforts, jumping from rooftop to rooftop to escape the weapons the redhead keeps throwing at me. Damn walking magnet... 

I'm not very far away anymore, I see the streets a little more crowded and not very far when a weight falls on my shoulder. I crash to the ground almost thirty feet lower, my breath cut off by the impact and my shoulder certainly dislocated. Holding me down with his metal hand, Kidd positions himself above me and prevents me from getting up. He hits me in the face once and then a second time with his free hand before starting to giggle.

“I've been wanting to do this for so long,” he lets go and hits me again. “You killed a dozen of my men, you bastard. You deserve to be killed for that.”

“As if you could do it,” I spit in as mocking a tone as I can. “They attacked me so they had it coming.”

His knee crashes into my stomach, blocking my breathing, so unable to insult him I give him a black look instead.

“You're lucky the bounty's only good if you're alive. Otherwise I'd have already smashed your skull against the ground!”

“Give it a try, you stupid bastard.” My voice is strangled but I'm sure he heard me.

He's probably gonna hit me again but I'm faster than him and put my clenched fists against his chest.

“Counter Shock!”

He is sent a few feet further by the electric shock and I take advantage of the fact that he's out of it to take a deep breath. I manage to put my shoulder back in place, clenching my teeth to muffle a groan of pain before picking up my weapon and getting as far away from him as possible. I mingle with the people, who glance at me with frightened eyes, and take the direction of Shabondy to join the Mugiwara as soon as possible. I trust them enough to hope they're not behind this or that they won't be interested in the bounty. I have nowhere else to go anyway and with a little luck, they might know more than I do about the reason for the bounty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for this week, thanks for reading I hope you liked this chapter. (And yeah sometimes I like finishing my chapter with a kind of cliffhanger)  
> See you next week ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ! It's this time of the week again x) enjoy !

Along the way, I pass a few passers-by giving me suspicious glances but I don't know if it's because I'm injured or if they also saw my face on the wanted poster. I have my answer when, a little further on, I notice a woman pointing in my direction while she is talking to two guards. I swear silently and turn into the first adjacent street I see but the guards follow me. Too bad for them. When I arrive in the alley I stop and wait for them.

The first one arrives unsuspectingly and takes a pommel blow in the face before collapsing to the ground, most certainly stunned. Just behind him, the second one immediately tries to attack me with a knife. I dodge him and grab his wrist and twist it, making him drop his weapon and put him against the wall with a wrench.

“Why are you looking for me?” I ask.

“I don't know,” He have troubles to articulate. “Those are the orders.”

“Don't play me for a fool,” I threaten him and tighten my grip, just enough to make him growl. “You expect me to believe that you're following orders nicely without asking for details?”

“I swear to God, I... Aah!”

He's interrupted by his own groans of pain as I twist his arm more and more. A little more and his shoulder will be dislocated, maybe he'll become more talkative then.

“All right, all right!” He starts to scream. “It was the medical section that gave the order to find you. But I don't know any more, I swear!”

He seems to be telling the truth, so I let go of his arm to hit his head against the wall to knock him out too and I already don't pay any more attention to him when he crashes heavily to the ground.

I don't know what the medical section of the World Government wants from me but it must be pretty important for them to put such a big bounty on my head. I haven't been back in town for a long time and everything was normal back then so it must be today. Then I remember this guy who examined us when we were going through the controls, he passed something on to another man.

Unfortunately I can only see one thing that could interest these vultures, but I don't know how they could have found out about my condition. No Mugiwara would have gone to the guards to report me and this scar could just as easily be the normal bite mark of a human. The only plausible explanation is that I am not an isolated case and they guessed I am not infected.

I still think for a few moments about what to do next and decide to go back to the Mugiwara as I planned to do before I met those two idiots.

**~O~**

I continue to run, slaloming between passers-by, becoming more numerous as I get closer to Shabondy when shouts come from an adjacent street. I stop and listen to try to understand what it is when I also hear sounds of a struggle. I hesitate for a second before I head towards the fight that must have taken place probably less than two hundred feet away, on the other side of the street. 

As I turn around the corner I am almost hit by a man thrown against the wall next to me and I see he is a Mercenary. His face is vaguely familiar to me, I have probably met him before. I turn my head in the direction he came from and cannot hold a sigh of relief when I see the person who threw him against the wall is none other than Law, still struggling with two men and a woman. I don't realize I was so worried until a weight in my chest disappeared when I saw it.

I watch him throw his fist violently into the woman's face and I hear her nose break from where I am. Obviously he doesn't hold his punches, I almost feel sorry for her. He hits her in the stomach with his knee and twists the arm of one of the men, putting them both on the ground. He then hits the last one on the head with the sheath of his sword, and he too fall on the cobblestones of the street. 

I must admit I am impressed by his fighting skills, his movements are fluid and it is as if it required no effort on his part. It seems that he is definitely cured.

“Law!” I call out to him as I approach him.

He turns his head in my direction and relaxes when he sees it is me but doesn't seem to let his guard down.

“Sanji-ya, I think I have some problems...”

“Those guys attacked you because of that stupid wanted notice, right?”

“You know about that? They're not the first,” he sighs. “I took care of two guards and a dozen mercenaries between Whiskey Peak and here...”

“What the hell were you doing there?” I'm surprised. “It's a rat's nest...”

“If I hadn't been there I might not know I'm wanted,” he dodges the question.

Then I notice his pants slightly torn and his split lip. Before I can add anything else I discern a frantic heartbeat a few feet away. I turn around just in time to see a man running away so I chase him. If he warns someone Law is here we will get visitors quickly and we have to get to the others as fast as possible.

Luckily the guy is not very swift, I catch him in a few seconds and put him against a wall. Soon Law joins me and grabs the man by his jacket.

“I don't know what you were going to do," he says. “But if you tell anyone you saw me here I'll cut you to pieces.”

The man nods his head in panic and looks scared so Law lets him go. He hesitates for a second before running away. 

The dark-haired man turns away and while the other man disappears, I follow him with my eyes, a little surprised. Only now do I realize that Law can also be threatening. I finally follow him and we continue on our way to Shabondy.

On the way I notice one or two posters on the walls but nobody disturbs us and we reach the Rip-off Bar without any more trouble. I push the door and once there I know we are safe, we know the manager and Rayleigh is still hanging around. I see all my friends around a table in the back so I drag Law in that direction. 

“Law, Sanji-kun! There you are at last," Nami greets us with a smile. “We were starting to think you got lost.”

“Law, what happened to you?” Chopper asks, gesturing to his face.

“Some trouble on the way...” he answers.

“What kind of trouble?” Usopp steps in.

“Law's wanted.”

Exclamations of surprise erupt, drawing the attention of some of the people around us.

“But why is he wanted?” The redhead worries as she turns to me, her smile disappeared.

“I don't know f-...”

“I think I know why,” Law cuts me off.

He explains he "crossed path" with two guards and took the opportunity to ask them why a bounty was put on his head. It apparently comes from the medical section of the World Government so he assumes the men who brought us into the city earlier in the day guessed he had been bitten without being infected. 

So this suggests these scientists know this is a possible thing. Maybe Law isn't the first, but they are keeping it a secret.

“How much is this bounty?” Zoro comments.

“Two hundred million,"

They all look at him with surprise and Nami even almost chokes on her drink before looking up with big eyes and coughing.

“Two hundred million?!” she shouts with a cough. “But-”

“It's huge!” Usopp exclaims, cutting Nami and drawing attention on us again. “With a bounty this high people will search him ! We're all going to get killed and Tra-o will be captured...”

“No one's going to get killed,” I try to reassure him. “And no one's going to get captured. We're going to lay low while we get what we need and get out of here as soon as we can.”

“It's not going to be easy,” Franky intervenes with a calm tone. “With a wanted person in town, the exits will be even more watched than usual so we'll have to be careful and...”

“I stop you right there. I don't intend to drag you into this," Law says, cutting short our plans. “This is my problem so I'll handle it on my own, you don't owe me anything.”

“We're not doing this because we owe you," Chopper says. 

“You're our friend Tra-o, if you're in trouble, it's everybody's business.”

We all watch Luffy, who starts eating whatever's in his hand again. Law is stunned for a few seconds and then turns his gaze to me, resigned, as if he expects me to contradict Luffy.

“Don't think you're going to get rid of us so quickly,” I smile, I'm happy my friends and I are on the same page.

“Anyway,” Robin begins. “Tra-o-kun has nothing to fear here, we're safe at least for the evening.”

I nod and we both take our places around the table, quickly served by a charming young woman I never saw before. We can relax tonight, we'll have time to worry about it all the next day, for now we'll have fun and a good time together.

A few hours later, we are all more or less drunk, except maybe Law because I didn't see him drink much during the evening. The bar is almost empty now, except for us there are only a few drunks or dozy guys on their tables. I muffle a yawn, imitated by Robin. All the fatigue of the trip falls on us. 

“I'm exhausted...” Luffy laments as he falls asleep on the table.

“Monkey-chan,” Shakky calls him. “Four rooms are free on the first floor if you want, I don't think you'll find an inn at this time of night.”

“Thank you Shakky-san, that's very kind of you,” says Brook, catching Luffy.

With some difficulty, we manage to climb the stairs and reach the floor, where the four rooms in question are located. The girls share one of them, we leave another one to Law and manage to get seven of us into the other two. So I find myself squeezed between Luffy and Brook in a double bed while Zoro goes to sleep on a chair in the first room and the other three manage to fit in the other one.

As soon as he lies down, Luffy is already snoring and taking up half the space on one side and Brook is talking in his sleep on the other. The noise doesn't seem to bother Zoro, who falls asleep in a few minutes but even after an hour I still can't get to sleep despite the tiredness. I end up getting up and go out of the room to relax because otherwise I'll end up hitting Luffy and forcing him to sleep on the floor or even in the hallway.

I walk down the stairs silently. I can't hear anyone downstairs so I guess Shakky must already be asleep too. I go out in front of the bar and light a cigarette and take a puff before blowing it out with my eyes up. There's a hole in the rocky ceiling just above and even though it's a lot smaller than the one in the middle of the city I can see a bit of the starry night sky contrasting with what's below. I look around a bit and enjoy the silence for a few minutes when the door opens behind me and Law joins me.

“You can't sleep either?” I ask as I turn to him.

“I'm thinking too much," he answers. “And then I hear Mugiwara-ya snoring from my room, it doesn't help.”

“Imagine what it's like to have it directly in your ears...”

He gives me a little smile but his face is still dark. I think I know what's bothering him.

“You shouldn't worry about all this.” I don't know if I can reassure him, but it doesn't cost anything to try. “We're going to get out of here and they won't be looking for you on the surface.”

“I'm not worried about myself, it's not the first time I've had bad guys after me and I can handle them, but I don't want to drag you into this. You've already done a lot and-”

“I'm gonna stop you right there,” I cut him off. “Like I told you before, you're not gonna get rid of us like this. We're gonna get out of this mess together.”

He seems to be gauging me for long seconds, making me a little uncomfortable, before he finally speaks again.

“Why is all of you so eager to help me? Why are _you_ so eager to help me?” His tone is accusatory, he pauses as if he is waiting for an answer before resuming. “I've only known you for a few weeks and I even tried to kill you the first time I saw you. I don't deserve so much attention, so why-”

“Would it hurt to just say thank you?” I let go, throwing my cigarette out and crushing it with my foot, irritated by the tone he's taking. “I want to help you because you are a full member of our group now and comrades have to help each other.” I pause and look away to avoid his glance and calm down. “We're probably already in this mess too anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was looking for you earlier, when I came all the way here I ran into guards who had dozens of wanted posters and were questioning people, they know you entered into Grand Line with us. It's probably only a matter of time before we're wanted as well so we're screwed anyway...”

He crosses his arms and seems to think intensely for several seconds before finally turning his attention to me. 

“It's only me they're interested in,” he says. “If you stay away there is still a chance that the World Government will leave you alone, but if one of you is seen with me it becomes more complicated for you to -”

“The conversation is over,” I interrupt him again, I'm tired of hearing him say that. Listening to him I have the impression that we're not able to handle things by ourselves. “We're all in the same boat so there's no point in arguing. Besides, it's not as if Luffy is going to let you cope on your own, he already considers you a friend so you can be sure he'll act accordingly, whether you like it or not.”

He looks at me surprised for a few seconds, like he can't believe it.

“Give us a little credit, Law,” I snap, stepping away. “With that, good night.”

I feel his gaze on my back as I walk through the door to go back to bed but he adds nothing more. The fact that he wants to keep us apart is starting to annoy me. Is it so difficult for him to accept the help we are offering? He wants to leave us out of it for our safety but we don't need to be protected, we can defend ourselves so if we want to help him it's our choice and none of us will let him down. Maybe he doesn't need us but we're here so he's going to have to deal with it whether he likes it or not.

I went out to calm down and in the end I'm coming back even more on edge...

I push open the door to the room where Luffy's loud snoring still comes from and sigh knowing I probably won't be able to sleep much. As I approach the bed I smile seeing Luffy on the floor, still asleep although in an unlikely position. I take the opportunity to lie down on the bed at his place, and finally manage to fall asleep after long minutes, still annoyed by Law who persists in refusing our help.

**~O~**

The next morning, hearing some noise coming from below, I go downstairs to discover the Mugiwara at the table in a good mood and while looking at Sanji our little discussion last night comes back in my memory.

He seemed upset when he went back to sleep after I told him I didn't want their help but he made it clear I had no say in the matter. I don't know why he's so keen to do all this for me, but all I want to do is get out of town, go back to the surface and take care of my business. I don't want anything to happen to them because of me, they don't deserve that. Already several people have died because I'm not vigilant enough and I don't want Sanji and the others to be added to the list.

As I join them, I notice an elderly man I didn't see the day before next to Luffy. He has an amused smile on his face when he looks up at me, probably because of the young man's foolishness. I sit between Chopper and Zoro and pour myself a cup of coffee, the first one in forever, while still feeling the man's eyes on me. 

Following the thread of the conversation I learn the man in question is the famous Rayleigh the Mugiwara have already talked about, but I don't really see what's so special about him.

“Rayleigh,” Usopp begins before he bites into a bun. “You wouldn't happen to know where we can find a new vehicle?”

“What happened to your bus?” He's surprised but his smile is still in place. “I haven't seen it, but it was in pretty good shape last time you guys were here. Don't tell me Luffy tried to drive again...”

“We were attacked by a group of Infected who looked like they were led by one of them who was human," Franky replied. “He super smashed up the bus. It must still be in the same place, in the middle of the road several hundred miles away. The same goes for my arm, by the way.”

“I see,” he smiles a bit wider. “I should be able to find something for you quickly and I think I have something you can use in my workshop, but we'll see about that later.”

Franky nods his head and we finish our breakfast. 

I honestly have no idea how we're going to get out of Grand Line. The more time goes by and the less chance I have of getting out easily, it won't take long for the World Government to post my wanted poster all over town and the guards who are patrolling will probably become more and more cautious as time goes by. If we want to flee, we have to do it as soon as possible but the Mugiwara don't seem as worried as I am. 

A sigh escapes me when I see Luffy fooling around with Usopp and Chopper. Sanji told me to trust him but I have to admit seeing them like this don't makes me feel confident. To be honest it's not that I don't trust them, I know they can defend themselves but it's putting them in danger when they can avoid it that I don't like. 

If they would just let me get on with it I would be grateful but unfortunately I understand there is not the slightest chance of that happening. In spite of myself, I'm glad someone cares enough about me to want to help me, but I try to push that feeling away.

“Come on, Law, get up," Sanji smiles at me, putting a hand on my shoulder. It seems he's not angry with me anymore. “We have things to do!”

I nod and get up to follow him outside trying to suppress the feeling of joy I feel growing up in my chest in spite of myself.


	8. Chapter 8

Chopper, Luffy, Brook and Zoro went to have fun at Shabondy Park and the girls went for a walk while Law, Usopp, Franky and I followed Rayleigh to his workshop, not far from the bar to see what he has to offer us. We go inside to discover dozens of metal pieces placed here and there on the floor and what seems to be pieces of robot hanging from chains. There's even a sort of dismantled van with spare parts lying around in the corner. 

Rayleigh leads us to a table and grabs what's on it to show us. It's a pretty big mechanical arm he lifts up in front of Franky. Immediately Usopp lets out a whistle while approaching him with an interested look.

“I found this not long ago and I was thinking of selling it but with a few modifications you should be able to use it, what do you say?”

“It's Suuuuupeeer!” the concerned exclaims, and I'm pretty sure I see his eyes shining from where I am.

Usopp hastens to take Rayleigh's arm to look at it from all angles with our friend, already discussing all they're going to do about it while the older one turns to us. 

“Let the two of them tinker, come with me," he tells us.

Law gives me an interrogating look as Rayleigh passes us to come out and I encourage him with a nod as I follow the other man. We return to the bar, now empty because the others have all left and it is still a little early for the first customers to arrive. There is only Shakky behind the bar, who greets us with a smile on her face and a cigarette between her lips, cleaning glasses.

Rayleigh sits at the counter and invites us to do the same. I sit next to him but Law seems to hesitate, he stands leaning against the bar. Shakky blows a cloud of smoke before taking a sheet of paper and putting it in front of us. 

This is the wanted notice in Law's name, Law barely looks at it before looking up at Rayleigh and Shakky. They know he is wanted because we talked about it yesterday when we joined everybody but I suspect Rayleigh even found out before we did, he's very well informed.

“So, Trafalgar-chan,” the brunette begins. “I don't get it, what did you do to piss off the World Government? Since yesterday these posters are everywhere in the city and the number of guards must have doubled in Longtown this morning, it must be quite serious.”

Our eyes are on him but he doesn't seem to want to talk. I know he's suspicious and even though we know them, Rayleigh and Shakky are strangers to him so he's unlikely to tell them anything about himself. There is a heavy silence for long seconds, during which Law just looks at Rayleigh and Shakky without saying a word. He must be weighing the pros and cons and as a spectator, I'm a little uncomfortable so I'm the one who finally breaks the silence.

“You can tell them, Law,” I say. “Trust me, they're not going to turn you in.”

He gives me a reproachful look and continues to judge the other two. I silently encourage him to do something, he finally sighs and lifts up his shirt so that his scar is visible. There is only the mark with the shape of a human jaw a little darker than the rest of his skin and which stands out a little, his wound has nothing to do with what it looked like when I found him.

“I see," Rayleigh states, not the least bit surprised. “So you were bitten. At what point did you realize it had no effect?”

“When I was still dying a week after it happened,” he sighs, likes bored and I look at him disapprovingly. 

“How about that, Trafalgar-chan is immune to Infected bites. I haven't seen a scar like this in years," Shakky comments.

“This isn't the first time this has happened?” I'm surprised, I never heard of something like this.

“Of course not," she replies with a smile, stubbing her cigarette out into an ashtray. “But there are very few people, even in the World Government, who know this.”

I remain stunned for a few moments. Law is not the first person who hasn't turned into a monster after being bitten.

“What happened to the others then?” I ask, a little confused. “Why doesn't anyone know?”

“I don't know, they usually disappear quickly and nobody hears from them anymore. The World Government is probably experimenting on them until they die and then get rid of them. Wouldn't it be bad for people to know that?”

My heart misses a beat, Law doesn't seem to be shocked by this news even though he is directly involved. He remains impassive, arms folded. If he gets caught, he'll disappear like the others. Strangely, this perspective touches me more than I thought it would, as much as if we were talking about Usopp or Robin, while he remains impassive.

After a long moment of silence, it's broken by the bell on the bar door.

“Oh, Sanji-kun, Tra-o, you're still here,” Nami notes, entering the room. “Weren't you with Franky and Usopp?”

“They're in the middle of a job,” Rayleigh says after a few seconds when he notice we don't answer.

“Oh, right. Everything okay Sanji-kun?” Her tone is worried. “You're making a face...”

“Yeah,” I finally answer with a smile. “Don't worry, Nami-san.”

The heavy atmosphere falls as the girls enter and Law takes the opportunity to go out. The others start talking to each other so I stay where I am and don't take part in the conversation. 

I find it hard to realize that others have been in Law's case but nobody knows about it. I can't understand why people from the World Government keep information like this to themselves, yet it can help thousands of people to know this. The fact that people are disappearing is just as worrying. What happens to people who are immune? We're all on the same side, we're supposed to help each other, so why do I get the feeling that the Government, or at least some of its medical section, doesn't want to help everyone?

So I sit here brooding until, I don't know how long later, Law comes back and settles down on his own. A few minutes later the group that had left to have fun comes back too and the general volume rises immediately because of Luffy. I see the few customers who are there and who certainly want to drink in peace keep giving him bad looks that he doesn't even notice.

In the midst of the good mood that has set in, Usopp and Franky make their appearance. They have apparently finished their modifications to the metal arm Rayleigh gave Franky because it is well in place on his shoulder. Of course, this immediately catches the eye of Luffy and Chopper.

“Oooooh!” The second one comes running towards them. “Franky, you're so cool!”

“Isn't it? Wait till you see how Suuuupeeer this arm is!”

The two tinkerers start talking about everything this new arm can do while Franky demonstrates it in real time under the astonished and admiring eyes of the other two. I'm happy to see it doesn't constrain him in any way, he has even more possibilities than before and Luffy, Chopper and Usopp are like kids in front of him. 

Even so, I can't be as happy as I would have liked, this story of people disappearing worries me too much knowing it could happen to one of us. I don't want to spoil the mood and Law doesn't seem to want to talk about it so I keep a low profile and everyone has a good time until it's time to get down to business.

“All right, guys,” Nami claps her hands together and stands up. “We'll have to decide what we're going to do when we get a vehicle.”

The others calm down and I see Law raising his head towards it, suddenly interested.

“It's not complicated," Luffy says, biting into a piece of meat. “We're going out with Tra-o and if someone stops us we'll smash them.”

“Totally agree,” Zoro approves.

“It would've been a surprise if the Marimo head would disagree,” I mumbles.

-Who are you calling a Marimo head, stupid eyebrow?

“Are you guys crazy?” The redhead grunts, cutting short our argument. “This is the World Government we're talking about, if they catch us we're dead!”

“Nami-san, if anything happens I'll be there to protect you and Robin-chan!”

“Calm down, Nami,” Franky intervenes. “For the time being we've got nothing to fear. We've only been here since yesterday, if guards are looking for us they'll take a while to find us here, the town's huge.”

“It doesn't tell us how we're going to get out of here," she sighs. “All the entrances are guarded, if Tra-o tries to get out of the city we can be sure we'll never get through.”

I take a look at Law, he still has his face in a deadpan. I know it wouldn't have helped, but I would have liked to see at least a little concern in his eyes, something that tells me he does give a damn about what happens to him.

“Otherwise you can just leave me alone and go back to your quiet life," he says sarcastically.

“Not gonna happen,” Luffy declares.

“Out of the question," I add.

“Why do you want to risk the freedom or even the lives of your comrades for me, Mugiwara-ya?” He asks.

“Because you are one of us, and comrades have to look after each other.”

Law seems surprised by his answer, but I warned him, Luffy is not the kind of man who lets down people who need help. I show a small satisfied smile when he looks up at me.

“So, does anyone have any ideas?” The redhead resumes.

“Luffy's plan isn't that bad,” Usopp hesitates, he doesn't seem confident about what he's saying.

“Oh come on, not you too,” she laments, sitting down. “Coming from Zoro I understand, but you ?”

“No, what I mean is that we can try to go out as if nothing had happened,” he continues, a bit more confident. “Rayleigh told us that he could probably find a vehicle for us to fix by tomorrow, while we take care of it with Franky, we make all the necessary preparations and we should be able to leave within a week.”

“That doesn't tell us how this will help us get out," Robin says. 

“You can trust us for that! We're going to do something super for you that no-one can stop! Let them try and stop us, we'll smash their doors to bits!”

No-one other than the two of them and Luffy seem very keen but it's our only plan for now so we've got no choice but to go along with it. 

Over the next few days, Usopp and Franky find us a new vehicle and set about getting it up and running by working on it day and night while the rest of us don't have much to do. We already have everything we need in terms of supplies and medicines so we just have to wait. 

We can do what we want, just don't draw too much attention to ourselves. At least that goes for us. We have asked Law to avoid going out and instead stay at the bar so that no one in town will recognize him, but go and convince a stubborn guy like him to do something. Of course, he's just doing as he pleases and has been out a few times because he can't stand to stay there. I insisted by telling him that it's only a few days but he turned me down telling me to mind my own business.

I have no idea where he goes but he always comes back empty-handed after a few hours so that's why today I decided to go with him when he goes for a walk. At least if he gets attacked he's not alone, even though I can see it annoys him.

“I don't need a babysitter, Sanji-ya," he grunts as we walk through the crowded streets of the city center. 

“Of course you do,” I answer. “If you get attacked on one of your walks, how am I supposed to know I have to come and rescue you if I don't go with you?”

He gives me an exasperated glance to which I answer with a big amused smile.

“I don't need someone to come and save me, I'm doing fine on my own," he finally says.

“I know, but I'll come anyway.”

Despite the late hour there are quite a lot of people still walking the streets but we still head for Shakky's bar to go home. 

When we arrive, the bar is deserted but when I push the door I can hear the voices of Luffy and the others upstairs, they have simply already gone up but I don't know where Shakky and Rayleigh can be. I shrug my shoulders and walk behind the bar after turning on a light so as not to be completely in the dark while Law settles down at the counter.

“You hungry?” I ask, opening the fridge. “I can cook you something if you want.”

“No, I'm fine Sanji-ya, thank you.”

I just nod and take two beers and open them before I put one in front of him. He grabs it and takes a sip then put it down and we sit in silence for a long time.

“What's wrong?” I say, seeing he looks lost in his thoughts.

“Nothing, it's just... why do you want to help me so much, Sanji-ya?”

“Still on that?” I sigh. “You're one of us now, so it's normal to help you, I told you before.”

“No, what I want to know is why _you_ are doing all this for me. You already took me back to your camp and cured me when I tried to kill you and now you want to protect me even though I don't want to, why? It's different from what the others do.”

I open my mouth as if to say something but I don't know what to tell him and to be honest I don't feel like I did anything unusual for him. He's still looking at me and obviously waiting for an answer.

“I don't really know,” I finally answer, keeping my eyes fixed on the bottle in my hands. “But since I'm the one who found you, I feel like it's my fault. You wouldn't be here if I had minded my own business and not forced you to come to town so I want to help you now that you're in this situation. I feel a little responsible...”

“You've already done a lot and if you had minded your own business, as you say, I would have died a long time ago,” he says after a while.

I keep my eyes down. That may be true, but we brought him back here because I thought by saving him he could help humanity understand why there were Infected, but that was before I knew what happens to immune people like him. I may have saved his life but now he's stuck here with the World Government on his back because of us.

“Hey,” he does, gently putting his hand on my arm and making me look up at him. “I'm just curious, I don't blame you, quite the contrary. If I'm here it's because I wanted to be here, it's not your fault Sanji-ya so don't look like death warmed up.”

“Yes, but...”

“No buts,” He cuts out. “Stop talking and drink.”

He lets go of my arm, leaving a warm feeling and lifts his bottle towards me. With a little smile, I raise mine and toast with him before drinking a long shot of booze.

I feel he's glancing at me from the corner of his eye but I try to ignore it. “Is it really only because you feel responsible that you take care of me?” he asks with a light tone after a few moments.

“Um... yes?” I hesitate as I bring the bottle to my mouth to drink again. “Why?”

“Just like that, I was wondering if you hadn't simply succumbed to my charm.”

I almost choke on my drink and do my best to contain a coughing fit. He takes another sip with a little mocking smile before he starts laughing out loud. It's the first time I've seen him laugh heartily so I'm surprised for a moment.

“You're pretty sure of yourself,”I tease, raising an eyebrow.

“Don't worry Sanji-ya, I'm kidding,” he says with a smile on his face.

I shake my head and smile too, but still feel my cheeks warm a little. I know he's joking but I didn't expect him to say something like that. I admit he's attractive, I'm not blind but it has nothing to do with the fact that I helped him. 

We finish our drinks and go upstairs to join the others before going to sleep. According to Usopp we'll be able to leave in two or three days, he and Franky will finish repairing and modifying the new bus they've got soon.

**~O~**

The next morning, I woke up before the Mugiwara group, at least before their leader, whom I can still hear snoring on the other side of the wall. As I go down into the bar, I meet Chopper, who greets me with a smile, and then I join the others in his company. The two handymen are probably working in old Rayleigh's workshop because I don't see them, there is only Sanji and Robin actually, which is unusual.

“Where's the rest of the group?” I ask, sitting down with them. 

“They went to see how the renovation of our new bus is going,” the brunette answers.

Some time later, not knowing what to do, I decide to go for a walk in town to see if we are still safe and obviously Sanji is coming with me. I enjoy his company so I don't mind him coming, but I grumble and roll my eyes when he gets up to follow me, just for the form. 

I quickly realized traveling and spending time with the Mugiwara is great, the group is nice but I recently noticed it's largely thanks to Sanji that I am so comfortable with them. Few people have been as interested in me as he is for a long time, so everything he does is important to me.

We walk through the crowded streets talking about things we see and other things or in silence, while paying attention to everything around us. I noticed the number of guards we pass was increasing day by day, as was the amount of wanted posters we see hanging on the walls. 

I haven't been back in town for a long time but I find it strange they're on my back so much, I've never seen anything like this before. We're really going to have to get out of here quickly or I'm seriously gonna have a hard time staying unnoticed. 

Since the day before, I feel that despite the fact I've swapped my usual cap for a simpler one so as not to attract attention, the passers-by we meet are staring at me more insistently. Some even whisper among themselves as I pass by, so I am suspicious of everything and everyone. Next to me Sanji looks relaxed, a smile floats on his lips between which a cigarette burns and he walks quietly with his hands in his pockets, but I know he is on the lookout too.

I look ahead when red hair catche my attention straight ahead. I immediately grab Sanji's arm and turn into the first street that comes along so the man doesn't notice me. Usually, when he's not on the surface I know Kidd hangs out in the kind of places I met him last time, he never comes downtown so what the hell is he doing here?

“What's going on? Sanji wonders as I drag him behind me. 

“Someone bothering,” I answer, leaning over to see where he is. “But I don't think he saw me.”

At the same time, the wall to my right explodes in a flood of rubble, with a heavy metal door going through it. Obviously I was wrong, the bastard noticed me.

We dodged both the door and the rock debris coming upon us and immediately I notice Sanji moving into a defensive position. Passers-by are shouting and jostling in the main street for fear of being caught in a fight, but we don't have long to wait before we see Kidd's broad silhouette appear in the middle of the dust cloud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi ! I hope you liked this chapter, things start to get interesting x) I don't have much to say so see you next week ! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii ! Time for a new chapter !

“Well, well,” The red one laught. “Here you are again, Trafalgar!”

“Eustass-ya,” I frown, seeing men standing behind him. “You've already found yourself some new minions, I see.”

He doesn't seem to like this comment because the smile he was displaying a second earlier disappeared to give way to an angry grimace.

“Yes, thanks to you," he spit. “You're going to pay for this, I'm going to beat you up so bad the guys from the World Government will have a hard time recognizing you when I hand you over to them.”

He looks serious. I can see Sanji tensing next to me but don't turn my head towards him to see his face. I'm starting to know him and I guess he must not be smiling at this moment.

I draw my sword as several of Kidd's men throw themselves at us, they are armed but I know I don't even have to use my power to put them out of my way. I wound some of them with my blade, hitting others while next to me Sanji kicks them with impressive speed, sending some of them several feet away. 

Seeing the small fry is not enough, the redhead rushes at us too and tries to hit me with his huge metal hand while making weapons fly around us. He manages to slash my skin in several places, but that's not going to stop me, and neither is Sanji. We manage to stand up to him well, he's not really up to it in front of both of us. He's getting more and more angry, hitting with more and more strenght. I'm pretty solid but I know if one of his blows hits me, I'll be in trouble.

Fortunately, Sanji and I are more agile than he is and even though Eustass managed to block or dodge Sanji's attacks so far, he suddenly gets a violent knee kick in the stomach that makes him bend in half. I take advantage of this to punch him in the jaw and send him to the ground before threatening him with my blade.

“Don't get up,” I tell him, putting my blade under his throat when he tries to stand up.

He spits on the ground and gives me a black look but doesn't try to stand up again, he knows I won't hesitate to hurt him or worse if necessary.

“If I were you I wouldn't waste time with someone like me," he says with a grin. “With all the racket our little fight made you can be sure that guards will be here soon.”

“So you can stick a dozen swords in my back as soon as I let my guard down? No thank you.”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” He says with a wicked smile. “Still, it's true, they'll be coming in any minute.”

“If it wasn't you I could almost believe that you're worried about me,” I respond with a joyless laugh. 

“I don't give a damn what happens to you. I'm just saying you're screwed.”

“I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you,” Sanji approches. “If guards come, we'll simply put them in the same condition as you.”

“No, you won't do anything to the guards if they arrive,” I tell Sanji while Kidd gives him a black look. 

“I beg your pardon?” He's surprised. “If you think I'm going to let you-”

“It's all right if I attack the guards,” I cut him off, looking at him a second. “It doesn't make much difference for me anymore, but you and the others haven't done anything wrong yet, and I don't want you to antagonize the WG to help me.”

“I don't think I asked your opinion, I do what I want.”

“Oh please, you look like an old couple...” The redhead complains, still on the floor.

“Shut up, Eustass-ya,” I groan, totally turning to Sanji.

He looks at me with furrowed brows, probably waiting for me to refuse his help again. He looks ready to fight anyone who tries to contradict him and even if it's stupid of him and despite our shitty situation right now I have to restrain an amused smile from stretching my lips. This idiot is determined to do anything to help me once again and I appreciate that he cares about me so much but I can't put him and the others in danger just out of selfishness.

As I was about to respond to him again, I feel a weight crashing down on me and the pain radiating through the right side of my body before being thrown against something hard. It takes me a second to realize I let my guard down like an idiot and Kidd took the opportunity to hit me. 

I vaguely hear Sanji screaming my name but my head hit the stone wall of a house and black spots appear in my field of vision. It takes me a moment to come to my senses and turn my head quickly enough to see the blond man running towards the other one and hit him but at the same time he makes a gun float and shoots Sanji, wounding him in the leg.

I get up as he falls to the ground with a grimace of pain but Eustass comes in front of me and grabs me by the throat to pin me against the wall again.

“Now,” he says, his face too close to mine. “You and I are going to wait for the guards to arrive and I'm going to make a lot of money off your ugly face.”

He raises his fist to hit me with his free hand but I'm faster and sends my foot into what I guess is his crotch when he drops me swearing and bending in half. I smile mockingly at him and hit him with all my strenght, sending him to the ground. I knock him down with a heel blow in the face before turning to Sanji, who got up and is leaning against a wall. 

I pick up my sword and put an arm around the blond man's back to help him walk and head for the bar where his friends are.

“See?" I say lightly. “That's for this kind of thing I want to get by on my own. It wouldn't have happened if you'd stayed at the bar.”

“Oh, shut up,” he sighs. “It's nothing, it'll probably be all right by tonight.”

We were about to leave when I hear several quick footsteps on the cobblestones, approaching. I curse silently when I understand that other idiot managed to gain enough time for the guards to come. Sanji must have heard them too because when I turn my head towards his face he looks in the direction the noise is coming from. 

It's too late to hope to lose them with Sanji not being able to run and facing them is a bad idea. I could leave Sanji here, the guards are only interested in me so they would leave him alone but he is able to attack them to defend me despite his injury. I hesitate but I don't have time to think, I don't know how many of them there are but they are coming in a group.

“Oh screw it...” I let go when I catch Sanji.

“What the-!”

He lets out a little scream of surprise that would have amused me in another situation when I throw him on my shoulder and I run away without looking back. I'm a little slowed down by Sanji's weight and fatigue but our pursuers don't seem so fast, we might have a chance to hide before they find us. 

Unfortunately, no matter how many times I zigzag through the streets and over rooftops I can still hear them behind me until others arrive. I see a few of them about fifty feet to my right. It's over.

“Sanji-ya,” I'm out of breath, I won't be able to keep running for a very long time and the guards will catch up with us. “I'm going to leave you here, it's me they're after, you'll just have to say I wanted to take you as leverage or some other stupid thing like that, I trust you. I've got a better chance of getting away on my own, I'll meet you at the bar when things calm down.”

“What? What's wrong with you?” He exclaims, moving and almost falling down. “I'm not leaving you alone!”

“If we don't do this, they'll think you're with me and they'll catch us both!”

“And if you leave me here, I promise I'll beat up anyone who comes near me, and they'll take me in anyway!”

I sigh. I feel like facing a child who's having a whim. Unfortunately we don't have time to squabble any longer because a sudden sting to the leg then it becomes numb and makes me lose my balance and I fall heavily to the ground, dragging Sanji with me who fall ten feet away from me. 

“Law?” he asks as he stands up, I can hear worries in his voice. “Are you okay?”

He gets up and starts to approach me, but I signal him to keep his distance and touch my leg looking for what's pricked me. I pull out a small needle and throw it to the ground. Guards arrive a few seconds later and quickly surround us before aiming their weapons at us. One of them, a pink-haired man, walks inside the circle and I give him as black a look as I can as he stands in front of me.

“Trafalgar Law,” he announces. “You are under arrest.”

“Go to hell,” I spit, trying to get up. “I haven't done anything wrong.”

“An yet you are wanted by the World Government. Catch him without killing him,” he orders his men.

I can hardly feel my leg, as if I had been anaesthetized, but I manage to stand up again the moment a man comes at me with a sword. Luckily the other gumhead told them not to kill me... I send him away with my sword still in his sheath and then make a Room appear while two others arrive. 

I put them on the ground one after the other, sometimes losing my balance because of my numb leg and see from the corner of my eye that Sanji does the same. He really doesn't care about what I told him... Even if he's wounded, he keeps attacking, none of his opponent manage to touch him. 

These guards are not strong but they are very numerous and I don't see the end of it. Inevitably after a while fatigue takes over and someone manages to hit me in the back. I fall to the ground under the blows of the others, who seems to enjoy it and hear the voice of Sanji calling my name.

“Law!” he shouts. “Let him go! I tell you to let him go, you bastards!”

I don't see him, but I hear him making his way to me by hitting everything that gets in his way and then a gunshot rings out, giving way to silence for long seconds. 

My heart misses a beat. Two men stand me up and put seastone handcuffs on me to block my powers but I feel nauseous thinking they may have killed Sanji because he was trying to protect me. I look for him and notice him on his knees, one hand pressed on his belly where a red stain on his shirt is slowly spreading.

“Sanji-ya!” I shout out, worried.

I am reassured he is only injured but his blood continues to flow. He raises his head towards me, his face tensed with pain before he tries to stand up again but guards behind him make him fall to his knees again and hold him firmly, hitting him.

“Leave him alone!” I roar and turn to the pink-haired man to order his men to stop. “He has nothing to do with me!”

“He attacked my guards with you," he replies as he approaches me.

He throws his fist with brass knuckles in my face and I too fall back to my knees spitting blood.

“I threatened him,” I try to explain, this is the first lie that comes to mind but I hope he'll believe me. “I forced him to help me escape, you can let him go.”

The man stoops down to my height and grabs me by the hair to make me look him in the face. I look at him, clenching my teeth and then turned my attention to Sanji, who looked at me with a sorry look on his face. The man then gets up and nods to his men to let go of Sanji and orders those who are holding me to stand up again. 

“Law...” the blond man begins, standing up with difficulty.

I give him a look to make him understand not to say anything so he stay silent, if he looks too friendly with me they could take him away too even if he's already in this state because of me. He is obviously struggling to stand and the hand on his belly is already soaked with blood but considering the location of his injury I know it's not as bad as it looks. He can join the others, Chopper will help him and he'll probably get better in a day or two so I'm not too worried about him.

The pink-haired man walks past the others, who follow him without a word. I give Sanji a grateful look as I pass him, I can see he's dying to attack them but it would be the worst thing to do now. As I walk away, I hear him whispering.

“Be sure I'll get you out of here," he says.

I smile, this idiot is really hopeless. I can hear him going towards the bar as I am being taken in the opposite direction.

**~O~**

I leave in the direction of where the others are before the group of guards taking Law is even outside my field of vision and hurry as fast as I can. My injury hurts like hell and my leg prevents me from running as fast as I would like, but I have no choice. Who knows what those bastards are going to do to Law while he's with them. Shakky did tell us those who are taken away because they are immune to Infected bites are disappearing and I refuse to let that happen to him so I try harder to run and ignore the pain as much as I can.

When I arrive in front of the bar several minutes later, I slam the door against the wall pushing it and am relieved to see no one is there apart from my friends.

“Ah! Sanji-kun there you are,” Nami greets me as she approaches. “You're alone? Where's- Oh my God! Chopper, Sanji-kun is hurt!”

The others stand up in a second, Chopper in the lead and with Luffy's help he leads me to one of our rooms upstairs before getting me to lie on the bed.

“What happened?” he asks, opening my shirt to see how much damage has been done.

“We were attacked by a guy who was after Law's bounty so we fought him,” I answer.

“He's the one that got you hurt like that?” Luffy asks, his eyes shining with anger.

“No, some guards came in...”

“It doesn't tell us what happened to the Doc,” Zoro comments, leaning against the wall.

“Shut up Marimo, I'm coming to it,” I pitch sigh clenching my teeth when Chopper starts disinfecting my wound. “We tried to run away but they caught up with us and there were too many of them for us to deal with. They took Law...”

“Then we have to get him back," Luffy says, already heading for the door.

“Luffy, stop!” Usopp intervenes, grabbing his arm. “We can't do that, it's the World Government-”

“I don't care who they are," he replies, freeing himself from his grip. “They hurt one of my friends and took another one away, I'm not going to stand by and do nothing!”

I agree with him, we can't leave Law like this knowing we'll probably never see him again, but we should at least think for two minutes about how to do it. Luckily, for once the seaweed is listening to the voice of reason and stops Luffy from passing by.

“Wait a minute," he says. “We can't go like this.”

“See?" Usopp smiles with relief. “Even Zoro agrees with me !”

“First we have to find out where they took him and only then we shoot everything.”

“Then we'll have to search the whole town!”

“I can't believe it, you're both insane!”

If I wasn't in so much pain I would surely have laughed when I saw his face, but with Chopper removing the bullet lodged in my belly I don't really feel like laughing.

“Sanji-san,” Brook calls as he approaches. “Do you have any idea where they might have taken him?”

“No,” I confess. “But they were heading south, they didn't go towards the tower.”

“We'll ask Rayleigh and Shakky,” Nami says. “Maybe they know if there's something belonging to the WG south of town.”

No one adds anything and Chopper finishes to take care of me quickly. The injury in my leg is not that serious, the bullet has slightly damaged the muscle but nothing more, I will be able to move normally by the next day and fully recovered in two days at the most. On the other hand, the bullet wound in my belly will probably make me suffer a little longer but it's in moments like this that I'm happy to be a Mercenary, otherwise I'd be in for weeks of convalescence.

The others go out of the room. Chopper forbids me to leave the bed and orders me to rest while I rather want to get out of here to find Law but there's no point in arguing, he threatened to drug me to force me to sleep if I don't obey him anyway. 

I told Law I would help him if he was attacked and there was nothing I could do when it happened. They took him away in front of me. I feel like kicking something to vent my anger, I clench my fists and hit the mattress to let off steam. He was the one who was in trouble but he tried to protect me by taking everything for himself. He's always wondering why I'm helping him, but he doesn't think for a second that it's because he's doing the same thing, this idiot.

I don't want to sleep, of course, so I just stare at the ceiling, waiting for time to pass and hoping we can do something about it as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it, next week we reach chapter 10 and we'll see what will happen to Law x) see ya !


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi ! There it is, chapter 10 ! Thanks to everyone that read it !  
> Enjoy~

I must have fallen asleep because when I open my eyes it's dark. I'm already feeling better and I slowly straighten up on my bed before putting my feet down. My head is a bit dizzy but nothing too awful so I grab the pack of cigarettes on the bedside table, light one and get up. My leg is still painful when I lean on it so I limp a little but I can walk and the wound on my belly is not as terrible as it was earlier. 

The stairs seem to sway under my steps as I walk down them and I need to concentrate more than usual to get down without falling down then when I get to the door frame to the bar all the noises coming from there stop, the others heard me coming down.

“How are you doing?” Chopper asks when he sees me. “Did you get any sleep?”

“I'm fine,” I answer, taking a drag. “Just a little dizzy.”

He nods with a little smile and I sit next to them.

"Any news?” I look at them one by one. “Were you able to find out where Law was taken?”

“Not yet, but according to Shakky there are old labs that aren't supposed to be used for years in the direction you told us,” Nami answers.

“Do we have any idea how to get in?”

“We rush in!” Luffy exclaims, banging his fist on the table.

“Monkey-chan's quite a hothead, isn't he ?" Shakky adds, bringing me a glass of juice. “I don't know if you're going to be able to save your friend like that.”

She smiles at us and I thank her but seeing nobody contradicts Luffy I'm starting to get scared. They're not gonna do it like that, are they? 

“That's not exactly how we're going to do it,” Nami sighs. “But as usual that idiot didn't listen...”

“You're going to get us all killed one of these days, Luffy!” Usopp groans, leaning on the table.

The concerned one bursts out laughing and bites voraciously in a piece of meat that was sitting on a plate in the middle of the table. As for me, I'm stuck on the "exactly" and wait patiently for this dear Nami-san to explain to me how things are going to happen. I have nothing against going to our friend's rescue as soon as possible, but I'm afraid this kind of plan will cause him more harm than anything else.

“Seriously,” The redhead resumes. “Franky, Brook and Robin went for a walk around these labs earlier. The area is off-limits, guarded by dozens of guards and...”

“That's not a problem," Zoro says, taking a sip of what I imagine to be a bottle of sake. “I'll take them all!”

“We suppose there are also security devices and cameras everywhere but we don't have time to study the site in detail, it would take us weeks," she goes on as if he hadn't said anything. “In summary we don't think being discreet will get us very far, so... we're going to go with the Luffy method.”

If I understand it correctly, we are really going in there and rush in. At least we're moving fast, but I'm not sure how they managed to agree on a plan like this while I was sleeping. I look at them one by one, not knowing what to say.

“To be more precise,” Franky starts. “One group draws attention at the entrance while another sneaks in to pick up Law, we get out and run away with our Suuuuuuper new bus that we'll finish fixing up tomorrow with Usopp!”

“That's basically the plan," The redhead nods.

“We're really gonna get caught, guys...” Usopp puts his head on his arms and sighs.

“This should be fun," Robin adds with a smile.

I smile in turn and stub out my cigarette in an ashtray before looking up at my friends.

“Alright, when do we start then?”

**~O~**

When I regain consciousness I feel cold and aching all over. I don't know where I am or how I got there and then the memories begin to come back along with a severe headache: I was with Sanji when Kidd attacked us and then soldiers came and ended up taking me away. 

I also remember those bastards were not gentle with me during the trip, they took advantage that I was handcuffed to hit me and drugged me because I started hitting back and then I blacked out. I past out and woke up there.

I painfully open my eyes, probably still a little under the influence of what they injected me to calm me down and discover that I am in a dark, damp cell. Charming. I can also see they didn't see fit to leave me my sweater, which explains why I'm cold. 

I'm probably in a basement, and I'm not alone if I believe what I'm hearing despite the constant ringing in my ears. Two people are chatting but I don't know if it's two poor souls being held prisoner like me or two guards who are there to watch me. In doubt, I get up despite my dizziness and wait a few seconds until the ground stops moving under my feet to approach the bars. 

At the same time, someone hits it with a riffle, making a metallic noise that only aggravates my headache.

“Stay at the back of your cell," a female voice threw at me in an authoritative tone.

A woman in uniform comes to stand in front of me looking at me with a superior look, but I support her gaze without blinking, and she must not like it because she hit me in the stomach through the bars with the butt of her rifle, breaking my precarious balance and sending me back to the ground. I give her a dirty look as she turns away to join her colleague.

I sigh, how long has it been since I was separated from Sanji? I don't even know if it's day, night or if I haven't maybe even slept for several days. All I can do is wait for something to happen. No one told me what I am waiting for, I just sit there and do nothing and if I have the misfortune to say a word one of my jailers is there to tell me to shut up so I prefer to keep quiet. 

I don't know how much time I spend locked up like this but the guard has been relieved twice so I guess it must be a day, although I feel like more time has passed. I don't have much to do in my damp cell, I alternate between waking phases during which I only hear the muffled and uninteresting conversation of my two guards and phases of half-sleep but the apprehension and constant cold prevent me from really resting. 

After a while, to disturb the boredom I find myself thinking of the Mugiwara and more particularly of Sanji. He must be getting better now and knowing him he must be worrying about me and thinking it's his fault that I'm here or something. He might even be able to come and get me in this shithole with the others. That thought makes me smile and I close my eyes to imagine his face when he tells me I need help after all.

After a while, probably hours, footsteps from the other side of the door and voices I don't know reach my ears. 

Instinctively I get up and put myself in a defensive position, even if I must seem more pitiful than anything else, half leaning against the wall and with a pair of handcuffs on my wrists. The door of the room where my cell is opens, letting a new person in.

“Bring him in,” a man orders.

Immediately my jailer hurriedly opens the door of my cell and grab me by the arm stucking her nails into my skin, then push me out of it without restraint before forcing me to stretch out my arm. 

I resist, but it only earns me another blow in the ribs so I obey in bad faith. She stick a needle hard into my skin and collect my blood before letting me go.

“Move forward,” she orders, hitting me in the back with her gun to force me to move.

I clench my teeth and mentally note this woman gave me an order twice with a arsh tone and she seems to enjoy hitting me with her weapon. I promise myself I will make her regret it at some point. In the meantime, I grin and bear it and just make her understand I don't like it by glancing at her angrily. 

The woman leads me in front of her colleague and the man who just entered, who barely looks at me before turning away and walking out of the room. The woman behind my back forces me to follow him and the other guard holds me at gunpoint. We walk for a few minutes, take the stairs up and cross a corridor far too bright for my eyes, which are more used to my darker cell, before stopping in front of a strong door.

“Leave us alone," the man says.

The other two greet him and return to where we come from without a word while he grabs me by the arm. He frees me from my handcuffs and the moment the door opens he pushes me inside before it closes behind me.

I don't quite understand what's going on but I don't like it at all. I find myself in a rather large room but completely empty, if you don't count the two other guys who look in the same state as me, but with a terrified look on his face for one of them.

Bright lights hanging from the high ceiling hurt my eyes and I notice several doors and metal gates all around me as well as windows above them, behind which I see several people crowding around. Among these people is the man who brought me here, his gaze on me with what I can see as disgust or at least curiosity while talking to a man in a lab coat.

I see some of them starting to take notes and I suddenly feel anger and adrenaline rushing in my veins. I feel like hitting something so I clench my fists. I feel like a lab rat, which I probably am, and it makes me furious.

“Oi!” I scream, drawing the attention of the majority of these idiots behind their windows. “Can I at least know what I'm doing here, being treated like an animal?”

“If you think they're going to tell you...” one of the guys with me comments, but I don't even give him a look.

“You're a test subject,” a voice declares into a speaker a few seconds later. “You have no permission to ask questions.”

“You know where you can shove your permission?” I spit as I look at one of the guys in the eye. “You bunch of... Argh!”

I'm interrupted by something sticking out of the back of my neck and then I feel a sharp pain radiating through my entire body, like thousands of needles sticking into my skin over and over again. I fall to my knees with a groan before the pain disappears as it came seconds later, leaving me breathless. I cast a dark look at the people above me and I get up and put a hand around my neck to pull out a small needle like the one that touched me while I was running away with Sanji. Except that obviously the effect of this one is completely different... 

“This is your first warning,” the voice says. “One more word and you'll get another.”

“Screw you... Argh!”

I take another spike, in the arm this time, and try to hold back the new stream of insult I want to spit in their faces. I stand this time and wait for the pain to pass and then pull the needle out of my arm before throwing it to the ground in a rage. I see the man with me smiling, but I ignore him. Then I wait to find out what they want to do with us, keeping silent.

A few seconds later the voice from the loudspeaker resounds again.

“Opening gate number two for entry of subject twenty-three.”

A small alarm sounds above one of the gates and I hear strange noises on the other side of it a moment later. I move away from it by standing on the opposite side, it doesn't sound good and my two comrades do the same. I have the feeling there is a wild animal on the other side of this gate and I would prefer it to remain closed.

Unfortunately we don't always get what we want in life. The gate suddenly opens, letting an Infected into the room who probably must have been a deer in another life and immediately throws himself at me grumbling. To my surprise I almost get impaled by his antlers and manage to narrowly dodge it.

"What the hell is that?” Says the guy who spoke to me a few moments earlier, attracting the monster's attention.

The monster turns to him, getting ready to charge him and the man starts to run desperately, although it is useless. I see his frightened look as the beast comes closer and closer to him, but unfortunately for him he is not fast enough to dodge it, and the Infected's antlers come straight into his stomach. The man began to scream in pain as he tries to free himself but it was no longer of any use, several of his organs were undoubtedly touched and Mercenary or not, he was as good as dead. The other guy and I stood motionless while the beast throws him to the ground shaking his head and approachs him to start devouring him. 

I don't want to witness this, it disgusts me and suddenly brings back bad memories so I turn my eyes away. I can still hear the man groaning and screaming as the monster is eating him alive, the sound of broken bones, torn flesh and the smell of blood start to make me nauseous so I try to hold my breath. Less than a minute later the man is dead and his screaming finally stops. 

I then notice the other guy, he has taken refuge high up, standing on the frame of the gate where the Infected entered while clinging with one hand to the loudspeaker. The latter smiles at me, waving at the monster, who apparently changed his target and became interested in me again.

He's going to start charging right away. I manage to avoid him but he comes back again and unarmed and weakened as I am I'm not going to last very long at this pace. I have no way to put it down because I'm too weak to use my powers, or it's because of something they injected me with while I was unconscious. Either way, the guy on his perch doesn't seem to have the slightest desire to help me. 

In between assaults by the creature I cast hateful glances at the people behind their windows, especially those I see taking notes as if they didn't see someone threatened with death by a bloodthirsty beast and a warm, half-eaten corpse. 

After several charges, I position myself with my back to a grid, waiting for the Infected to come at me and dodge him with a jump. Luckily his antlers get caught between the bars of the cage and he can't get free. 

This gives me a break but I still don't see how to get rid of it and there's no point in relying on the bunch of bastards above me as they're obviously waiting to see if I'm going to get impaled and eaten alive like the guy on the floor. 

After several seconds of struggle, the creature manages to free itself, breaking one of its antlers in the process and turns towards me again. The creature runs and I can barely avoid it, one of its broken antlers cuts my arm. 

If it goes on like this I really wasn't going to make it long and the man with me is still not determined to move. My lungs are burning, I'm having trouble breathing properly and my brain is spinning at full speed to find a solution and get me out of there, making my migraine come back. All of a sudden the piece of broken antler on the floor catches my attention. It must be about eight inches long, it's more than enough.

I rush to it at the same time as the Infected rushes towards me. I manage to catch it by throwing myself to the ground and stab him in the eye with all my strength as he reaches my level, sending his greenish blood on me and the immaculate white walls. The monster crashes to the ground piercing my eardrums with its screams of pain and convulses for a few seconds before it stops moving completely. 

I retrieve my piece of antler stuck in his skull and watch his blood spill on the floor for a moment, out of breath, before getting up a little shaky. If these bastards are keeping several Infected to have fun like this I'm starting to understand why people who are brought here don't resurface...

I then look up at the "scientists" to see their reaction but they have none, they are still watching me and writing things down in their damn notebooks. Two people then enter the room a few seconds later and grab my arms and force me to drop my makeshift weapon. The other man falls from where he was, groaning in pain, and I guess he got hit by a needle too. 

They pick him up and take us both out of the room and into another one. There, someone else comes in and sticks a needle in my neck before forcing me onto an operating table. I struggle as hard as I can to keep them from getting me on it me and hook me to it, but what they just injected me with is probably a sedative because my strength is starting to fail me. I notice the other guy is already unconscious and they've already put him on a table at the other end of the room.

The room starts spinning around me and I struggle not to close my eyes but it's a waste of time, I can't resist and I sink again a few seconds later, afraid of what will happen to me while I'm unconscious.

**~O~**

Hidden in the shade of an old warehouse, I watch the guards patrolling in front of the building that interests us with Robin, Nami and Brook. There is nothing special about it, except we had to go through security gates, which in itself ensures we are in the right place because officially this place is supposed to be unused for years, that's also why we do this at night.

The door we're about to enter is in sight. We just have to wait for the others to attract all the guards in front of the main entrance to allow us to enter without drawing attention but seeing nothing is happening I have the feeling something is wrong.

“Nami-san,” I whisper. “Luffy should've sent us a signal at least five minutes ago.” 

“You know he can't follow a plan to the letter...”

“Yes, but-”

“Don't worry Sanji-san,” Brook smiles at me. “Everything's going to be okay.”

I sigh. I've been waiting for this moment for over two days, initially Chopper didn't want me to come because I was still injured but there was no way I was going to stay out of it. I couldn't convince him so he insisted that we postpone it until today so that I could be recovered even though knowing Law had to spend more time in there made me sick. 

A detonation echoes a few seconds later, the guards turns in the direction of the noise but do not move. A moment later there is shouting, then another explosion and finally the men who are in the way start running towards the main entrance from where I can hear Luffy's voice, who seems to be having fun before an alarm goes off.

As soon as the guards are out of sight, we rush to the door and I hope the distraction is loud enough that no one pays any attention as I kick the door down. We rush inside quickly and arrive in a corridor that splits in two after about a hundred feet away. With one glance we agree, Robin and I take the path to the right while Brook and Nami take the other one.

We have no idea where Law can be and the place is huge so we push every door we pass, almost always coming across an empty room or a few guards to knock out. Every time I enter a room I almost expect to see him lying on a metal table with torture devices around him but we can't find anything and I can't tell if that's a good thing or not.

“Nami-san,” I call when I take a baby Den-Den Mushi out of my pocket. “Did you find anything?”

“Not yet,” she answers. “But we just arrived and the building's big, Sanji-kun. I'll let you know if we have any news.”

We come out of the room where we were with Robin and go on our way. After almost an hour of searching and combing through two entire floors of the building I have to admit I'm starting to lose my patience. I can see Robin is out of breath behind me but I cannot slow down. While opening an umpteenth door I knock too hard on it and sent it flying into the room, empty once again.

“Stop worrying so much," Robin says softly, putting her hand on my shoulder. “We're going to find him.”

“I know,” I sigh. “I just- I can't stop worrying. What if Law gets hurt?”

She starts smiling.

“What's so funny?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

“You care about him a lot.”

“Well... yes,” I hesitate, I'm not sure where she's going with this. “But I care about him the same way I care about any of you.”

“I'm not so sure about that, Coq-san. You don't look at him the way you look at us.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Wouldn't you care for him more than friendly?”

“What? More than-” It takes me a second to understand the innuendo. “No, I- It's partly my fault he's in there, so it's only natural that I'd want to get him out of-”

“You don't have to justify yourself,” she interrupts me.

Her smile widens and she turns away. I feel embarrassed. It's ridiculous, I don't feel anything for Law... We haven't known him very long, I care about him because he's my friend, but nothing more.

“You coming?” She calls from the corridor.

I realize I've been standing there for several seconds thinking about it.

“Y-Yes.”

I shake my head and follow her so we can continue our searching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for today, I hope you liked it! See you next week, as usual ;p


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi ! Here's this week's chapter !

What wakes me up is the incessant sound of an alarm ringing in my head and rushing footsteps across the door. It takes several seconds for me to fully emerge but I quickly realize as I try to move and get up that I am strapped to the cold surface where I am. There are straps around my wrists, ankles and waist, preventing me from moving at all. The light attacks my eyes when I open them and I grunt, turning my head to try to see a little where I am. 

I recognize the room where I was taken just before I lost consciousness but there is no one with me in that room. I'm not complaining, the further away from me those scientists bastards are, the better off I am, but I don't especially like being left alone here and tied to a table either. 

The table where the other man was when we were brought here is empty, but judging by the amount of blood still dripping from it and forming a puddle on the floor, the man has already fulfilled his role. I have to get out of here very quickly if I don't want to end up like him.

I pull on the straps holding my wrists but it doesn't do much good, they're too strong. I sigh and look around a bit hoping to find something to get me out of there but this alarm prevents me from thinking properly, pounding in my skull. There is a table with instruments at the back of the room but it is impossible to reach them...

At the same time someone bursts into the room, a terrified man in a lab coat who is apparently looking for a place to hide. He immediately closes the door behind him before curling up in a corner. He doesn't seem to have seen me so I don't move, don't say a word and close my eyes. 

A few seconds later he finally notice my presence as he utters a little frightened scream before finally coming closer to me believing I am still asleep. He checks to see if I am still alive, taking my pulse and then he approaches another table and starts to untie me. I didn't expect so much, but he must be afraid that one of their precious test subjects is lost, no matter what the problem is and certainly wants to move me to a safer place.

I'm waiting for him to finish unhooking my second leg so I can get up in one go and throw my knee in his face. He falls to the ground holding his nose, blood starting to drip on his shirt and immaculate blouse and he insults me. 

I don't waste any time with him and hit him again. His head hit the tile, I turn away from him and grab a scalpel and stuff it in my pocket before heading for the door to get out. I open it and leave the room once I'm sure the hallway is empty to look for an exit. 

I have no idea where I am or even what level I am on so I take a random direction. The alarm continues to sound and a new group of guards pass in the hallway so I hide in the first room I pass to avoid them.

“Who's that?” a man behind me asks.

“He's one of our subjects!” another exclaims. “Get him!”

I sigh, it's really not my lucky day... I turn around to see there are five people in the room, three of them are obviously Mercenaries and the other two are scientists. If I go out I'll have them in addition to the guards in the corridor on my back so I'd better take care of those first.

A woman comes at me with a mace, which I barely duck but I take the fist of the man behind her right in the stomach. I wince and hit him back then take the scalpel out of my pocket to slash the cheek of the third man on my right. The latter passes one hand over his wound before taking a hunting knife out of his belt and trying to cut my belly open.

“Don't kill him!” one of the scientists hiding in the corner shouts. “He's the only one we have left of his condition!”

“Is that so ?” I laugh, giving them a mocking smile. “If you can't kill me it'll be even easier.”

I run up to the man with the knife. Clearly he doesn't know what to do, I stick my scalpel into his belly, dropping him to the ground moaning in pain to concentrate on the other two. They are a little faster than I expected and I can barely catch my breath. The man puts me against the wall while the other hits me on the head with the hilt of her weapon, stunning me a little.

One of the guys in the lab coat takes advantage of this to approach me with a needle in his hand and I know if he manages to stick this in my skin I lose all my chances of escaping from here. I fight as hard as I can, but the gorilla that's holding me back has a lot of strength. 

I feel the needle in my arm and push the man away with the energy of desperation, who hit a table a little further away, dropping his syringe. Sustaining my momentum, I headbutt the guy in front of me in the nose and manage to make him let go. 

I take the opportunity to grab his knife and cut his throat open before he can react. He falls up on the ground in a pool of blood so I turn to the woman, strangely a little less sure of herself now that she's alone.

I have some scruples about killing a woman but if it gets me out of here I won't hesitate for a second. I see her glance at the door and understand she wants to run away rather than fight. The problem is if I let her go she will warn other guards that I'm here and my chances of escaping will drop to zero. When she turns her head towards the door again I run at her to put her down and knock her out.

The two lab rats still hiding behind a cupboard must be hoping that I've forgotten them. They don't deserve to get off so easily with everything they do here. The first one tries to get away by going around me and his head hits the wall a second later. The second one is curled up on himself and looks at me scared and trembling with all his limbs.

“Please,” he whines. “Have mercy...”

How dare he? With what they're doing here... He disgusts me. My fist itches, I know I'm wasting time but I can't help it, I hit him in the face, he groans in pain but I hit him again and don't stop until he's on the ground and my hands are shaking. I don't know if he's dead or just knocked out and to be honest I don't care.

I turn around and steal one of the Mercenaries' jacket from the floor to keep from dragging around shirtless, hoping to hide the traces of human and Infected blood on my skin a little bit before I walk out of the room with my head spinning a little. I must have gotten some of whatever was in that syringe when that guy jabed me... The alarm is louder in the hallway and attacks my ears again but I also hear a speaker.

“To all personnel charged of the security, intruders are at the main entrance,” it repeats. “To all personnel charged of security...”

It takes me a second to understand what this means and I can't help but smile as I see only one group of lunatics crazy enough to attack this kind of place. I listen carefully and concentrate to find out which direction the guards are heading and follow them. If I am not mistaken, it is by going in that direction that I am most likely to come across these intruders. 

I run through a deserted corridor and run into some guards. They take a while to wonder whether I'm with them or not, but the loudspeaker reminds them they have work to do at the main entrance of the lab, so fortunately they don't follow me and I don't waste another second before walking away from them. 

After several minutes of wandering around the corridors I finally lose hope of finding an exit until I hear a voice that I recognize immediately.

“We'll never be able to save him at this rate! That must be the third times we've been around the building...”

“I don't think we've passed this corridor yet, Coq-san," a female voice answers. “We'll find him, don't worry.”

Their words quickly become incomprehensible, drowned out by the sound of the alarm and because they are moving away, I hear their footsteps slipping away so I rush in their direction to catch up with them.

“Sanji-ya!” I call running. “Nic... ah!”

I'm interrupted by a rifle butt in the back that knocks me to the ground. I get up and turn to the person responsible, who happens to be the woman who was watching my cell.

“Look at that, a rat escaped. I'm going to send you back to your cell," she says, pointing her gun at me.

“I'd like to see that happen...” I spit.

**~O~**

“Maybe we should try another floor,” Robin suggests.

“We already searched the other floors, and so did Nami-san and Brook.”

“Maybe he managed to get away on his own.”

“I'm not leaving here until we find him.”

She smiles but I refrain from asking her what's so funny, she'll probably make assumptions again...

I light a cigarette and inhale smoke before throwing it out, it makes me nervous that I still haven't found Law. I have a knot in my stomach thinking that we might not find him alive. We probably searched every room on every floor, we even went down to the cell level, empty of course, and the mess Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, Usopp and Franky are making is not going to hold everyone back forever.

“-Anji-ya!”

I stop at once and turn around wondering if I haven't been dreaming.

“What's going on?” Robin asks, turning to me. “Have you heard anything?”

I don't even take the time to answer and go towards the voice, Robin right behind me. The alarm that has been ringing since we came in here is still as loud, but despite this the further I go the more I can discern sounds of a struggle nearby. I speed up the pace and then at the bend in the corridor I see a woman being tackled hard against the wall by a man. 

At first I only see his back and not his face, but it can only be one person. My heart leaps in my chest as I approach him and I feel all the stress leaving me.

“Law!” I call out as I run to him.

The woman falls unconscious and Law turns towards me, out of breath, when he hears his name. 

I take him in my arms and hold him close to me without thinking, relieved to find him in one piece. He remains motionless for several seconds and then gives me back my embrace gently. It is only then that I see how worried I was about him. 

A few moments later, I realize what I just did and move away from him, uncomfortable, just before Robin appears at the end of the corridor.

“You really came to save me," Law says with a soft smile.

“Of course we did! Even if you seem to be doing well on your own,” I reply, trying to regain my composure, then I notice he is wounded and stained with blood. “What happened to you? Are you hurt?”

“The experiments they're doing here are not good," he replies. “I had to fight to get here but I'm fine, we'll talk about it when we get outside. I assume the intruders at the main gate are Mugiwara-ya and the rest of the group?”

“Yes, we have to go to them and we can get out of here.”

We head for the exit. I tell Nami and Brook we found Law through the baby snail and now that we've done it, all we have to do is find the others and get out of here.

Finding the exit is a lot easier than finding Law. All we have to do is follow the groups of guards who are rushing to defend the building against Luffy and the others. 

“Sanji-kun, Robin!”

I turn my head and notice Nami and Brook running in our direction while we are close to the rest of the group, we stop to wait for them.

“You managed to find Law-san!” Brook exclaims as they get to our level. “What a relief!”

“I found this while we were looking for you," The redhead adds, handing Law his katana. “I thought it might come in handy.”

Law smiles at her and picks up his weapon and the five of us continue on our way.

We finally reach the entrance, we arrive in a large hall whose wall leading outside is completely smashed in. I stop for a second and wonder how they got to this point but suddenly seeing Luffy throwing his gigantic fist at a guard group and Franky chasing another one throwing fire with his new mechanical arm I think I have my answer.

“Luffy, they're back, we're done here!” Zoro yells as I see him appearing on my left.

Luffy turns his eyes towards us with a big smile and sends away a man who was running at him.

“Mission accomplished guys, let's go!” he shouts as he moves away from the building.

We all follow him, some guys try to stop us from leaving but a few kicks and the way is clear.

“Good to see you again, Tra-o!" Usopp says when he gets to us.

“Me too, Hana-ya," he replies.

All we have to do now is get to the bus Franky hid a few hundred feet away and we can set sail. Unfortunately we're not completely off the hook yet, we're being chased, even if the guards on our heels are far behind.

While following the others, I realize I am really happy to have found Law and that he is not seriously injured. He only spent a little more than two days in these labs but I can imagine how hard it must have been, so thinking about the fact we managed to get him out of there I feel relieved, more than I could have imagined.

I instinctively turn my head towards him and see he is struggling to keep up, but if we slow down the guys behind us will gain ground. I get to his level and grab him to carry him on my shoulder like he did for me last time. He lets himself be pushed around but gives me a surprised look to which I respond with a smile and speed up to catch up with the others.

“Franky, how much further is it?” Zoro asks. 

“We're right next door,” he answers. “But we have to get rid of them, I'm gonna need a bit of time to prepare our departure.”

“I'll take care of it.”

The Marimo, who is in the lead, stops immediately and draws his swords turning towards our pursuers. 

“Can you remind me again why we didn't hide the bus closer?” Nami sigh, out of breath, as we finally stop running. 

“You'll see,” Usopp smiles.

He and Franky get rid of what they've put on the bus to camouflage it and at his request, I put Law back on the ground and then we all go inside. I don't have time to marvel at the work they've done to repair the vehicle because Franky gets behind the wheel and orders everyone to sit down and hold on tightly then asks me to load a can of fuel in the back at a special place. 

I obey him and once I've done that I too get into a seat with my seatbelt fastened. Franky then turns on the ignition and lowers a lever on the dashboard. He positions the bus so that the big World Government Tower and the huge hole leading to the surface is right in front of us.

“I don't want to upset you Franky-san,” Brook starts. “But there's no road straight ahead...”

“Don't worry about that. Oi, Zoro!” Franky calls a few seconds later, putting his head outside. “Come on, we're taking off!”

I see him fighting several guys outside and he doesn't seem to be able to join us right away. I was going to get up to help him but Luffy's faster than me. 

“Zoro!” He shouts out one of the windows. “Let's go!”

Saying that he extends his arm out the window to grab the other idiot and brings him back to the bus, almost knocking him out when he passes the window frame. I smile when I see him on the floor of the bus and then he gets up with a menacing look at Luffy and goes to sit down on a seat. 

“Get ready guys," the driver says.

The bus starts to vibrate more strongly. I exchange a slightly panicked look with Nami, having no idea what's going on.

“What's happening?” Chopper worries as he grips the edges of his seat more tightly. “Why aren't we moving?”

“Don't worry, Chopper!” Usopp reassures him, smiling excitingly. “We'll be leaving in a few seconds.”

“We have to move fast, guys," Nami says, looking out the back window. “The guards are coming at us!”

“Just a little longer...”

“Franky, go!” The redhead yells as the guards are only a few feet away from us and start shooting at us.

They are right next to the bus and I was about to get up to deal with them when a loud ding is heard.

“That's it!” Usopp says, with an even larger smile on his face.

“Coup de... Burst!” Franky exclaims as he presses the lever again.

At the same time I find myself pressed against my seat by the pushing force of the bus, which takes off from the ground and heads at high speed towards the top of the tower. Luffy starts laughing as he looks out the window, but the rest of us are too scared of hitting the rock ceiling or the tower to be impressed. Nami and Chopper start shouting as we barely dodge the edges of the hole. I grab the edge of the table, sure that we're going to hit either one before we find ourselves outside, under the starry sky ans without a collision.

I can't believe it, my heart jumps in my chest, I feel like I'm in freefall as we keep going up and suddenly I'm worried about how we're going to land. A few seconds later the ground starts to get closer and I'm afraid we're going to crash.

“Franky, I hope you have an idea for the landing,” I call, turning towards him.

“Hold on something suuuuper tight,” he says. “The soft landing system isn't fully developed yet... so it's going to be a bit shaky.”

“You've got to be kidding me!”

“We're all gonna die here!” Usopp cries, all trace of smile disappeared. 

“Didn't you work on the bus, too?” Nami belts at him, in a panic.

“It was mainly Franky who worked on the Coup de Burst,” he explains, his voice a bit shaky. “I thought it was totally finished...”

“We're not going to die!” He exclaims.

“That's what _you_ say!”

The ground approaches more and more then I detach my belt to put myself between Robin and Nami to protect them before the shock and close my eyes in apprehension of this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they escaped ! x) I hope you liked it. See ya next saturday :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi ! The new chapter is here !

To say the landing is violent is a sweet euphemism but miraculously nobody get hurt and the bus is in perfect condition. As soon as we get on the ground, Franky starts up again and we get away from the hole. We're still in the Grand Line surroundings so there's still a chance guards are following us, we have to move away to make sure we're safe. 

We can't get out through the usual exits, all the security posts are certainly already aware we are on the run and I'm sure after what we've done it's not just Law who will be wanted. So we continue on our way, hoping to come across a section of the barrier that is not well guarded so that we can pass through without anyone noticing.

Luckily, after a long time we arrive in front of the barrier delimiting the Grand Line area. Zoro cuts it in pieces without any hesitation so that we can pass and Franky crosses it, bringing us back to the lawless zone, which ironically happens to be where we might be the safest.

Immediately an alarm sounds in the distance, informing the guards at the security posts the barrier is damaged. I doubt they will chase us outside the compound but we drive another two or three hours before we stop, when Nami declares we are far enough.

Franky takes the opportunity to take us around the bus and show us everything they've done with Usopp. It's quite similar to the old one after all, but one of the main new things is that our camp is integrated in our vehicle, we only have to press a button to have a part of it unfold on the roof and it's now the lower floor of the bus that acts as a common room. This guided tour took us about half an hour because they wanted to tell us everything and then the others wanted to sleep, we are all exhausted after this day.

Everybody goes to bed except Law, who I see going out so I follow a few seconds later. Outside, he moves almost a hundred feet away and I see him going to sit against a tree, looking up at the sky. 

Maybe he wants to spend some time alone so I just watch him from afar for a few moments, hesitating, but I finally join him. When I get to his level I sit down beside him.

“Aren't you sleepy?” I ask him, rubbing my hands together to warm them.

“A bit, but I missed the fresh air too much since we were in town, especially these last few days so I wanted to enjoy it a little.”

I look up at him and start to detail him without really realizing it. He was able to clean up the blood and change his clothes so he looks better than when we picked him up but he still has some minor injuries from his stay in the World Government labs.

I asked him earlier what happened there so I learned the scientists who work in these labs are keeping Infected to fight their test subjects but we don't know why. I suppose they do it so that their prisoners like Law can get bitten and watch what happens, it seems cruel to me but I can't really see any other explanation and nothing would surprise me coming from them now. He was also drugged and don't know exactly what was done to him during the time he was unconscious but he said he didn't feel anything different so it seems we got him out of there in time.

Still, it makes me sick to know Law almost died there, if we hadn't intervened they would have continued their damn experiments on him...

He must have noticed I'm watching him because he suddenly turns to me. I look away on reflex, embarrassed to have been caught in the act and then looking up at him again I see him smiling, but he makes no comment.

“I haven't thanked you yet," he says after a moment. “So... thank you for coming.”

“Don't mention it, it's normal,” I answer, lighting a cigarette. “We couldn't leave you in there, who knows what more they would have done to you if you had stayed there.”

“That's true, but you didn't have to...”

“Don't say that, it's not true.”

He smiles at me again, I blow a cloud of smoke over our heads. We remain in a comfortable silence for a few moments during which clouds come to cover the sky, hiding the moon.

“Nico-ya told me that it was you who wanted to go looking for me when you were injured,” he says after a while.

I don't answer, I'm afraid of what else Robin might have said to him, wondering in particular if she told him how she thinks I feel about him and starts to panic slightly.

“Is it still the fact that you feel responsible for me that made you want to help me?” He asks with a teasing smile. “Or was it that you wanted to prove I really needed a babysitter?”

“Maybe a little bit of both,” I say with a shrug.

I start laughing with him and then it's quiet again. A soothing silence, only disturbed by the wind blowing through the foliage of the trees above us and during which I am glad Law is with me. I put out my cigarette while thinking about what is going to happen now, we haven't talked about it yet but I guess he will stay with us. At least I hope so in my heart. The others and I are now accustomed to his presence among us, if he were to leave it would surely cause a feeling of emptiness for everyone.

“I guess you're going to spend some more time with us after all,” I state in an innocent tone. “Since that wanted poster thing stopped you from doing what you wanted to while we were down there...

“Well, I already owe you a lot but if you'll have me I think I'll keep you company a little longer, yeah.”

“Law, you don't owe us anything... and you can stay as long as you like, you're welcome to stay with us.”

“Would you miss me that much if I left?” He asks in an amused tone.

“Yeah, I think I would.” I answer, maybe a little too quickly and without thinking.

He looks for my gaze and holds it for long seconds without saying a word, which ends up making me a little uncomfortable. It slipped from my mouth and I may have said something wrong... but I'm happy with his answer, and relieved to know he's going to stay with us.

“What's the matter?” I ask when I see he's still looking at me. “Do I have something on my face ?”

“No," he answers with a little smile. “It's nothing.”

He finally turns away to look at the sky again, now completely covered by dark clouds, the light of the moon totally invisible. A cold wind accompanied by the smell of rain suddenly starts to blow, making me shiver but I don't want to go back inside.

“Why did you want to leave Grand Line as soon as possible?”

The question slipped as I thought back to our short stay in town, I turn my eyes to him hoping for an answer but he is still looking up and I am even doubting he heard me.

“Let's just say I didn't have a good time there when I was younger," he finally answers, lowering his eyes.

I expected him to stop at it as usual, with a vague answer but surprisingly he continues.

“I lived in one of the poorer areas of the city with someone for a while," he continues. “Cora-san found me after my parents died when I was a child and raised me as his son but... he was murdered a few years later. After that I had no reason or desire to stay underground, I wanted to escape my bad memories so I trained to become a Mercenary and didn't hesitate for a moment to come to the surface.”

“I'm sorry, Law. I didn't mean to-”

“You don't have to be, this all happened a long time ago and you have nothing to do with it.”

He smiles sadly as if to reassure me and I feel bad about bringing up a sensitive subject. I'm really gonna have to learn to refrain from asking questions without thinking, when I do so Law ends up with this melancholic look on his face and I don't like to see him like that. I look down, a little ashamed.

No child should have to go through this, losing his parents is horrible enough as it is, he also lost the person who took him in and his group and yet he's able to smile when we talk, he laughs sometimes and likes to tease me whenever he can.

I don't know where he gets his strength from but I admire him and that's one of the reasons why I want to protect him, even though he probably doesn't want or need it. As I look up at him again I can see a slight smile still floats on his lips but his gaze turned to the ground is still filled with sadness.

Seeing him like this I can't help it. I put my arms around his neck to embrace him and put my head in the hollow of his shoulder. He doesn't move so I keep him close for several seconds before I want to let go but he finally passes his arms behind my back, a little hesitant so we stay like this for a while longer, burying his face in my neck.

It's nice to be like this in someone's arms, I can feel his warmth against me and his warm breath against my throat, which contrasts with the coolness around me and I hope it feels good for him too, I want him to know he is not alone. We hold each other for a long time, until his grip becomes a little less strong around me and then I reluctantly move away. He looks at me, every trace of sadness gone from his eyes.

“You're cute when you worry about me Sanji-ya," he says with a smile.

He puts his hand on my head and ruffles my hair lightly before staying there for a few seconds, then his hand slowly falls back, lingering on my cheek and his eyes catch mine. I feel my cheek warming under his fingers, I suspect it have taken on a reddish hue and am relieved it is dark, hopefully Law hasn't noticed.

Yet he won't take his eyes off me. His hand doesn't move and I realize his face is slowly coming closer to mine. My heart starts to race and I feel hot all of a sudden. I open my mouth without knowing what to say when a noise not far away catches my attention.

“Sanji, Tra-o! Are you there?”

Usopp's voice startles me, I didn't hear him approach. I turn my head in his direction, forcing Law to remove his hand. I look at him before Usopp gets there.

“There you are!” he says as he reaches our level. 

“You were looking for us?”

“Everyone's going to sleep so we're locking the bus down for the night. Robin told me you were out so I came looking for you. Are you coming?” He adds, as he turns his heels to go back to the bus.

I nod, then as he walks away I take one look at Law. I hope he doesn't move so that we can spend a few more minutes together but he gets up and follows Usopp with a little smile so I get up too and follow them, although I'm a little disappointed he arrived at that moment.

While entering, I cross Robin's glance, she just smiles at me but it is enough, she certainly has an idea of what just happened and I even suspect her to have seen us. I pass her without a word and go up to go to sleep.

A little later in my bed, the lights off and while the others are already asleep, I close my eyes to do the same but Law's sad look and his warmth when I held him in my arms come back to my mind.

I know that the touch of people who master Haki is also more sensitive than normal as it is the case with other senses such as hearing or sight. This probably explains why I can still feel Law's fingers caressing my hair and cheek as if they were still there just by thinking about it, and it keeps me from falling asleep.

What would he have done if Usopp hadn't arrived? I then try to push back the little voice in my head which tells me that I should have hugged him longer, that Usopp should have waited five more little minutes to come and get us or that Robin might not be totally wrong after all.

I reopen my eyes to try to chase away these images and finally be able to sleep but knowing Law is there, a few feet away from me doesn't really help. I see almost nothing in the dark but I turn towards him and look at the place where he is before closing my eyes to finally fall asleep.

**~O~**

Sitting on a seat in the bus downstairs, I wait for the Mugiwara to wake up while reading one of the books lying around, but I can't retain anything I read. When I opened my eyes everyone else was still sleeping and the sun itself hadn't even risen yet, but I didn't want to sleep any more.

Before I went to sleep, I heard Sanji had a hard time falling asleep and knowing him, I guess the poor guy must have been mulling things over, as usual. He thinks a lot for not much sometimes but I find it very amusing... and cute but I feel a bit bad because there is a chance it was my fault if he got worked up this time.

Other than my comrades, I never told anyone about my childhood. I didn't go into details with Sanji but it was enough to bring back a lot of memories. I always miss Cora-san but lately I feel a little bit like finding him with the Mugiwara, they remind me of him sometimes and I'm sure he would have liked them a lot.

I raise my eyes as I put my book down, I keep reading the same sentence over and over again, I can't concentrate on the words. 

I don't know how much time I'm going to spend with the Mugiwara and as Sanji told me, they would probably accept me for as long as I want but I know if I want to stay it's partly because I'm afraid of being alone again. I got used to them within this last month and I don't know if I'm ready to go on my own.

Even though I have difficulty to admit it, the other main reason is I want to stay with Sanji. I like him much more than I thought when I met him and the way he struggles to help me every time is not for nothing it this so I want to enjoy his company a little longer. 

We live in a world where bonding means suffering, we are never completely safe from losing someone we care about. It only takes a moment for everything to change. I've been through this several times already, I think I've suffered enough and I don't want to make the same mistake again so I don't want to get attached to Sanji and the others, because I know what it feels like when you lose everything. 

But I can't control anything when he's around. 

He momentarily manages to make me forget how much it hurts and I know it's selfish to want to stay with the Mugiwara for those reasons... but I can't help it. How am I supposed to resist this little bit of warmth that he and the others offer me, after what happened?

Instinctively, as a new stream of memory rises to the surface, I lay one hand on my side, where the scar now fully healed from my bite is. It will always be there to remind me I was too weak that night, but it won't happen again.

I sigh and get up to chase away these dark thoughts. Thinking about the past won't change anything, I have to move on. 

I run into Robin coming downstairs and greet her before I go upstairs with the intention of taking a shower to clear my head. Once this is done, I go back down and notice some people have got up, including Sanji. He looks away from me with an embarrassed look when I glance at him and I smile as I sit next to Chopper.

“Nami, where are we going today?” Franky asks.

“I don't know," she replies taking a sip of coffee, then she gets up and fetches a map from her things and comes back. “We've already done most of this area south of Grand Line, it would take us too far away compared to the reserves we've made so I think we could go more that way," she says, pointing to the northern part of the map. “We haven't been there yet.”

“I advise you to avoid this area,” I declare while looking at the map as well. “I've already been there with my group a long time ago but we had to turn back because we weren't well prepared. There's an old ruined city around here and the groups of Infected are more numerous and more aggressive than elsewhere. Nobody dared to set foot there for years....”

“Shh Tra-o!” Usopp intervenes. “Don't say stuff like that... he'll hear you!”

He and Nami exchange a frightened look and I raise an eyebrow, not understanding who they're talking about until I hear the sound of hurried footsteps on the stairs and I see Luffy pass his head over the map to observe the area we're talking about.

“Let me see that... Looks like fun over there,” he says. “Why don't we go there?”

“No, Luffy! Please...” Nami complains, almost begging.

“It's decided!” He exclaims, ignoring her. “Franky, we're going north!”

“Luffy! If people don't go there, there's a reason!”

“Mugiwara-ya, I think you should listen to your friends. It's not safe to go up there...”

“It's no use,” Zoro sighs as he comes down too. “Once he's got something on his mind it's impossible to change it, you might as well accept it right away.”

“Let's go, guys!”

I stay stunned for a few moments. This idiot doesn't even know what he's getting into and he's acting like he's preparing a picnic. Usopp and Nami fall back on the table, despondent, while the other one moves towards the front of the bus with a decided step. 

I notice the other members of the group don't even try to change his mind, maybe they just gave up and know it's not worth it but Zoro and Sanji on the other hand look more like him. Most of the time these two seem ready to go on an adventure following their boss anyway. 

Personally I'm not afraid of the Infected, especially now that I know I won't turn into one of them, so wherever they decide to go I'll follow them, although I find Luffy's decision questionable.

We set off shortly afterwards, we have several days of travel ahead of us before we got there so in the meantime I have nothing to do but let myself be carried along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, I hope you liked it and see you next week for chapter 13 !
> 
> (I also see this fic reached the 1000 hits so thank you to everyone who read it !)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi ! New chapter and new adventures !

Five days after our departure from Grand Line and thus the beginning of our journey north, we managed to reach an old road in good enough condition for us to ride on it more quickly and so we save a considerable amount of time. It is also a sign we are approaching an old city. In a short time, perhaps a few hours or a day we should be able to see the tall buildings of the city in question, or at least what remains of it.

During these five days, I haven't really had the opportunity to talk with Sanji, at least not the way I would have liked to, and that frustrates me more than it should. We were interrupted the last time we were having a nice time and an opportunity to be alone with him as it was the case that evening has unfortunately not happened since. 

I look up at him chatting with Chopper and Robin, remembering the warmth of his embrace. When he took me in his arms I was unable to react, torn between wanting to push him away and the desire to hold him tight against me as long as possible. I am afraid of becoming more attached to him and what this might entail, but I was unable to resist this time and what scares me even more is that I want to let him get closer.

Surely feeling watched, he looks up and holds my gaze for a few moments before looking away as if he is embarrassed. His expression amuses me, but I turn my attention to the landscape passing by the window. How am I supposed to keep my distance when he is like that?

When we stop for the night, Nami informs us we are a less than a hundred miles away from the city, and thus from our destination. I go out to stretch my legs as soon as the bus stops, followed by the others. A few seconds later, noises attract my attention all around us. 

“Groups of Infected," Zoro says as he arrives next to me. “They seem to be everywhere.”

“Is it safe to stop here for the night?" Usopp asks. “I don't feel like it right now...”

“It'll be even worse if we get any closer” I try to find out how many monsters there were by listening . “It's better to wait until it's daylight to go further.”

“Don't worry, Usopp,” Franky, adds patting the side of the bus. “You know our bus is super solid, it's not a few Infected who will get the better of it! You can sleep easy.”

He doesn't seem any more reassured and looks around with a frightened look, even if he probably doesn't even hear the footsteps and grunts of the monsters before finally getting back on the bus. 

Zoro decides to stand guard for part of the night so that Usopp, Chopper and Nami are less scared so I propose to relieve him in a few hours so he can sleep a little. I don't sleep much so I can at least make it useful.

I go back inside a handful of minutes later while Zoro goes up on the roof to take his watch while the others go to their beds. 

I'm woken up a few hours later and hear knocks on the roof above me.

“Doc, will you take over for me now?” Zoro asks through the metal, but I could hear him clearly. “I'm starting to fall asleep.”

“No problem.”

I get up and grab my things then leave the room. I shiver as I feel the bite of the night cold on my skin as soon as I open the bus door and put on my jacket and cap before going up to Zoro. The latter is sitting crossed-legs, one hand on the handle of one of his swords and thanks me when I sit next to him.

“Nothing happened?” I ask as I listen carefully to the surroundings.

“Not really, a group of four or five Infected approached about a hundred feet away maybe an hour ago but strangely enough they didn't do anything so I didn't chase them," he answers shaking his head. “Apart from that nothing to report. On that note, I'll see you in a few hours, thanks Doc.”

“Good night Zoro-ya.”

He greets me with a pat on the shoulder and comes down. I listen to him get on the bus and go to bed and then I concentrate again on my surroundings. It's the middle of autumn, daylight won't be up for maybe four hours at least so until then I have to watch what's going on. 

I can hear grunts carried by the wind, but they're far away, it's quite strange they don't come any closer. We've been here for a few hours already, these monsters know we're here and yet they're keeping their distance. I'm not complaining but I find it curious. The attack on the Mugiwara group a few weeks ago comes back to my memory. I fear the same pattern will repeat itself and these groups of Infected around us are once again following a Human Infected who orders them not to attack.

Until the sky clears up I stay on my guard and on my nerves, but finally seeing the sun on the horizon I manage to relax a little and stretch myself. My limbs are numb from the cold and inactivity. We're not out of danger, like everywhere else anyway, but at least it's daylight so the Infected should be a little less active.

I hear some noise inside, a sign someone is awake shortly afterwards so I finally leave my post to get away for a while and watch the surroundings one last time before going back to the bus.

**~O~**

As I get out of bed, I unconsciously glance at Law's empty bed and go downstairs quietly. Now that I think about it, he's always up before everyone else. Downstairs I find Robin, sipping a cup of tea with a book in her hand. I greet her properly before I start preparing breakfast for everyone. 

I still keep my ears open trying to find out where Law is because I don't see him anywhere. He is not sleeping, there is no noise from the bathroom or outside.

“Robin-chan, do you have any idea where Law is?” I ask innocently as I lay a small plate of waffles in front of her.

“He can't be far,” she answers me. “I saw him walk away from the bus just before you got off, he'll be back, don't worry.”

“I'm not worried about him...”

She gives me a smile full of innuendo and I go back to my stove to hide my embarrassment. A few seconds later, the door of the bus opens, letting Law enter, who puts his katana, his jacket and his thick cap in a corner before going to sit down beside Robin while sighing.

A small smile stretch my lips when I see him but I quickly take myself back noticing Robin's glance on me. For a few days I have the impression she is watching me. Normally it would not have bothered me at all to be observed by Robin but knowing why she does it makes me uncomfortable. I feel like I have to be careful with everything I do so that she doesn't think she is right about Law. 

The problem is that the more I think about it, the more I think she might not be wrong and it disturbs me... So I just put a cup of coffee in front of him and a new plate full of waffles in the middle of the table when I hear noise on the stairs. Nami and Chopper come down, followed by Usopp and I know the smell of food won't take long to wake up the Marimo and Luffy. 

As planned, these two are soon joining us and take their place with us. 

Less than an hour later, everyone is up, full, and we are ready to hit the road again. According to Nami, we should be able to see the city in a very short time and arrive there before noon so the bus starts and reach the road we have been following since the day before.

The bus stops around eleven in the middle of a square in what must have been a residential area before the Infection spread. It's best to stop in a fairly open area, we don't know what to expect so high abandoned buildings and narrow streets are not a good idea. 

Infected often hide in abandoned buildings and fighting in enclosed areas is not ideal. We passed a few groups of monsters on the way but we got rid of them quite easily without even stopping but now that we are in town, our vigilance must be of the utmost importance. 

We leave the bus and decide to split into several small groups in hope to find something interesting and be more efficient. 

“I'm going with Luffy!” Nami immediately exlaims.

“There's no way I'm going anywhere else with the Marimo again,” I declare a second later, my tone maybe a bit harsh. “This jerk is going to get lost again and I don't want to look for him in this kind of place.”

“I'd rather get lost than hear you complain, K'so Cook,” he grumbles.

“I don't mind going with Zoro.” Chopper adds, a smile on his lips.

The others sigh but in a few minutes we manage to agree: Luffy, Nami and Franky constitute the first group, under the insistence of Robin, Law joins Brook and me to form the second one so Zoro, Chopper, Usopp and Robin remain for the last one. I see roughly where the latter wants to come but don't make any comment about it.

Each team goes in a different direction with a baby Den-Den Mushi in their pockets and with instructions to return before dark. Even if each group has at least one Mercenary it is not safe to walk around like this at night in an unknown territory, we have no idea what we might stumble upon.

Our little group moves silently, Law and I are on the lookout for any abnormal sounds but all I hear is the sound of the wind blowing through broken windows or the foliage of trees. Everything is quiet but in the distance I can discern the sound of an approaching thunderstorm.

“It's going to rain soon," Law says at the same time, looking up at the sky.

Black clouds are visible on the horizon and are coming in our direction at high speed, driven by gusts of wind. If a thunderstorm hits us, our perception will be greatly reduced and we don't need that.

“Perhaps we should seek shelter to wait for the rain to pass," Brook suggests, looking around.

“I think we can go a little further, we have time,” I answer after a second.

Law nods his head so we go on, we search some buildings to see if there's anything useful left on the way but nothing conclusive so far. We reach an area of the city where there are only skyscrapers around us, most of which are half in ruins so they're a lot less impressive than they could be a century ago but they're still immenses. 

Some cars are still in the middle of the road, most of them are just rusty garbage with broken glass and metal debris, others doesn't even have wheels anymore. Suddenly a noise draws my attention behind us, Law and Brook immediately pull out their weapons just in case while I approach an old rusty van to see what's behind it, although I already have a little idea what it is.

I kick it and at the same time an Infected dog throws itself at me from my right, I barely manage to prevent its jaw from closing on my arm and move a few feet away but it immediately runs towards me grunting. 

I kick him in the mouth and he falls to the ground squeaking before I crush his skull with my shoe in a disgusting noise. When I turn to my two companions, Brook is wiping his blade in a piece of cloth before throwing it to the ground next to another similar corpse. I cast a disgusted glance at my shoes and start walking again.

**~O~**

It must have been only a few minutes since we got back on our way, but the sky is quickly becoming overcast and the rain is starting to fall.

“Sanji-ya, we need to find a place to stay while the storm passes,” I call as the thunder rumbles. “We're too exposed targets out here.”

He nods and starts looking around to see if there's a suitable shelter but there are only half-destroyed and ruined buildings probably crawling with Infected so we don't have much choice. 

The rain is rapidly intensifying and lightning runs through the sky. Footsteps and cries of animals sometimes seem to resound around us, but I'm not sure due to the storm's roaring and the wind. 

At the same time an old billboard that was miraculously still in place falls about thirty feet away from us because of the gusts of wind. Turning towards it, I notice Infected running in our direction. With one look I see Sanji has seen them too and, following the movement, Brook pulls out his sword and turns towards the approaching group of monsters. 

I make a Room appear and take care of part of the group while keeping a constant eye on my comrades while the blond sends others crashing against cars or walls and Brook seems to be doing well killing the creatures aiming at him. I quickly realize the Infected keep coming, as soon as we kill one, another comes in behind to take his place so we start running to try and escape them. 

Others arrive all around us, they suffer a similar fate to the others, but they are starting to outnumber us. Even if I kill them with my powers, I can't see the end of it. We climb onto the roof of a truck in the middle of the road to be a little safer from their attacks but we are now surrounded.

“And what do we do now?” Brook asks.

“We have to know where the others are," Sanji answers, hitting an Infected who jumps towards us.

Something's coming at us from the air, which I cut off before it hits one of us.

“Tell me this is a joke,” I sigh when I see the Infected birds above us.

“Nami-san!” The blond calls as he takes the Den-Den Mushi out of his jacket. “We're in trouble here, dozens of Infected came out of nowhere!”

“Where are you guys?” She asks. “We'll join you to help!”

“I don't know, somewhere in the city centre I'd say, there are only high buildings around us...”

“We're not so far away, we'll...Ah!”

“Nami, watch out!” Luffy's voice shouts.

A few noises reach us but I don't have time to worry about them, I hear Sanji calling his friends before swapping my place with one of the birds to kill the others and returning to where I was. 

“Yohoho! That's a handy power you have, Law-san," Brook smiles at me. “I'm glad you're with us.”

I give him back his smile and go behind him to kill a monster that climbed on the hood of the truck. I nearly fall because of the rain that wets the metal and makes it slippery under my feet but I am caught by Brook.

“Sanji-ya we have to move,” I yell to the blond who is still shouting at the Den-Den Mushi. “These filths are beginning to understand how to get to us.”

He puts the little snail back in his jacket, sighs and turns towards me. I am looking for a way out of this situation when, looking up, I notice a building in a relatively good condition connected to some kind of unfinished building site.

“What do you suggest?”

“I open a way then we run to that building,” I answer, pointing at it. “I don't have any better plan at the moment.”

Between the rain whipping our faces, the wind blowing and the Infected within ten feet of us and harassing us I don't have time to think of a better plan and we can't rely much on our senses to find a way out.

“When I tell you, go ahead and barricade the door behind you.”

“What about you?” Sanji frowns, he seems concerned.

“Don't worry Sanji-ya, I'll be right behind you,” I reassure him.

They nod, I make a Room big enough before cutting off everything in front of me.

“Come on, let's go!” I shout to cover the grunts of the monsters as dozens of them fall to the ground.

Sanji gives me a worried look and then the two of them immediately jump into the tide of Infected at the bottom of our perch while I continue to kill those who try to attack them on their way. They continue to pour in from all over and I have to keep up the attacks to keep them away from my two running comrades. Fortunately, those who manage to reach them are immediately ejected by Sanji's kicks. 

Once they have reached the building about three hundred feet away from me and the door closes behind them I rush forward too. I swap places with the Infected to move forward and kill those around them and continue like this until I join the others before going through the door with a new Room. 

Inside, Sanji and Brook hold this one as best they can while the Infected throw themselves at it, making a metallic sound throughout the lobby of the building we're in. I quickly spot a kind of big metal cupboard and push it with difficulty in front of the door to block it. 

“It's not going to last long,” I'm little out of breath so I take a second to catch it. “We have to hurry up and go upstairs.”

“If we go up, we'll be trapped when they'll manage to get in,” Sanji objects.

“This building is connected to another one, we have to get to the roof. If we get to the other side we can call the others and wait for Mugiwara-ya's group, we'll be safer than here.”

He seems to hesitate for a moment, as if he's going to add something, but he finally nods his head and he and Brook follow me down the stairs.

We are going up as fast as we can, we must be on the second or third floor when I hear some noise on the ground floor. The Infected have finally come in. I suppose the proportion of these beasts trying to get in compared to what attacked us is lower, and I hope they are not smart enough to follow us efficiently upstairs, but there is no chance of going out from below anymore. 

I still hear rushing and growling noises in the stairwell but even if they catch up with us we should be more than able to deal with them. Despite this, we are not slowing down, I don't know how many floors there are in this building but we are far from reaching the roof. The sounds of the Infected behind us are getting closer and we are starting to have more trouble climbing up fast. It looks like we're going to have to fight after all. 

By the time we reach the eighteenth floor landing, I see four animals on the level just below. Sanji notices them too and stops on the way up to wait for them. 

When they get to him, he hits one of them that falls on another one and sends his foot into the head of the third one. He crushes it against the wall and leaves a large greenish stain when the monster's body falls to the ground. He sends the last one over the railing, which will probably land at the very bottom. He ends up crushing the skulls of the other two, who haven't even gotten up yet, before he turns to us and goes back up.

We resume our ascent, I can still hear the sound of the Infected entering the building but none of them seem to follow us so high anymore, they must have abandoned our trail or simply got lost in the different floors of the building. 

We only have a few more efforts to make and we'll be in the clear. Then we just have to contact the other two groups and tell them where we are, hoping that everything is alright for the Mugiwara's one who apparently got attacked too. 

We are out of breath and had to climb more than thirty floors when finally the door leading to the roof comes in front of us and I even sigh of relief when I push it. 

When I open it, I can see the weather outside has changed a bit, the rain has largely subsided, although it's certainly not going to last, but the wind is still blowing and blinding lightning sometimes tears the sky apart with a deafening thunderbolt. 

On this roof there are several scaffoldings, most of them collapsed, others just fell down so I search in which direction to go and then when I spot the path I signal to Sanji and Brook, who pass in front. I instinctively observe everything around me, the metal structures and concrete pillars and listen when an unpleasant sound almost completely muffled by the rain and wind attracts my attention and makes me shiver,. Sanji must have noticed my disturbance because he turns to me.

“Law? What's going on?”

He apparently didn't hear it. I signal him to be quiet and not to move then cautiously approach the source of the noise, which comes from behind a wall. As I put my head behind it my heart misses a beat. 

About sixty feet away, two Humans Infected are devouring the corpse of something I can't even identify, growling and ripping out entrails and pieces of flesh from the poor creature before biting into it with full teeth. I try to hold back a retch and one of them turns his head towards me. I know he saw me and I just have time to see his face dripping with blood before I turn around and rush to Sanji and Brook.

I hear the two monsters growling and chasing me as a thunderclap echoes. All I can do is shout to my companions to run away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter ! I love cliffhangers soooo... I hope you too ahah. Otherwise, sorry ?  
> See you next week x)


	14. Chapter 14

“Run! Sanji-ya, Brook-ya! Hurry!”

Brook immediately starts running, no questions asked, to the edge of the roof where we can pass the adjacent building and I follow him but Law's panicked tone doesn't sound good. I turn around as he runs around a concrete pillar, chased by two Humans Infected. I immediately turn around and run towards him. We had a hard time dealing with just one of them with Luffy and the Marimo and he is hoping I would run away without turning around while he has two in pursuit? 

“Sanji-san!” Brook calls as he stops.

“Cross over, Brook!” I yell at him, not looking back. “And take this!”

I throw the Den-Den Mushi at him and run to the Infected who are right behind Law, ready to kill him. I go as fast as I can and swing my foot in the face of the nearest one, sending him slamming several yards further against one of the scaffolding still standing, which collapses on him. The second was going to close his jaw on Law's arm but he is faster, he dodges and manages to cut off one of his arms while drawing his blade. 

The one that I sent away comes back very quickly next to the other one and we find ourselves face to face with these two monsters for several seconds. They just growl at us while staying at a reasonable distance, although they can get through it in just a few seconds.

“I told you to leave too,” Law tells me in a reproving tone without taking his eyes off the monsters.

“If you still think I'm going to obey you, you don't know me,” I retort. “A simple thank you would have been enough though, if it wasn't for me those two would have already started to eat you alive.”

“Your trust is touching...”

We don't have a chance to talk any longer because the two monsters are suddenly throwing themselves at us. I see a Room expanding over the entire roof area as I jump back just in time to avoid getting my stomach ripped out by the claws of one of them and Law blocks the other with his sword. 

I barely have a chance to get back down on the ground, the one aiming at me is already back on me. I manage to hit him on the head but these bastards don't feel pain like us, nothing stops them... From the corner of my eye I try to see how Law is doing but he seems to be handling the situation quite well. 

We fight as best we can against the two Infected. They're fast so I'm having a bit of trouble keeping up and almost get hit several times but we each have our own monster, luckily the two are not attacking the same target. They're aggressive, their claws split the air, their teeth close up on nothing but each attack is closer to hitting its target.

Fatigue is starting to set in pretty quickly. Fighting against one of these things alone is exhausting, every move counts if I don't want to get bitten and I feel like hitting an inanimate object when I manage to touch it. Even though I put all my strength into it, it comes back each time, ready to lacerate me again and again, growling and hissing. 

I end up losing my balance when I try to avoid an attack and see the monster's mouth coming dangerously close to me when I hear Law's voice shouting my name. The next moment I fall to the ground next to Law, not quite understanding what's going on until I see one of the Infected fall on top of the other one and bite him on the shoulder.

I look up at Law, also out of breath, and he helps me up with a relieved look. I understand he just saved my life and thank him before I focus again on our enemies.

They grunt at each other as if they were arguing and then throw themselves at us. Law tries to cut off the head of one of them, but the beast takes a step aside and is about to scratch him when he swaps places with the one who was bitten a moment earlier. The beast is injured again by his fellow creature. 

His blood spill on the ground and when he turns around and grunts at us I see he is close to also spilling his guts on the floor. In spite of this he continues to fight. I can't hold back a grimace of revultion when I see him, these monsters disgust me to the utmost. 

From what we know, they must necessarily be burned or at least their bodies damaged enough to kill this filth, otherwise they are only wounded and continue to move as if nothing had happened. Usually cutting off their heads works too.

I try to finish this one by hitting him on the head but he is always faster than me, even with his guts in the open air. He has already managed to hurt me, tearing my shirt in several places and I find it harder and harder to keep up with his speed.

“Sanji-ya!”

I turn my head towards Law to see the second Infected turn away from him to throw himself at me at full speed. Between the one I'm already fighting against and the one coming up the side I don't have enough time to move. I can't dodge both. 

My gaze shifts to the monster to focus on Law. He looks panicked, he gives a sword blow into the void trying to prevent his opponent from coming towards me before he starts running in my direction. I notice at that moment that the Room he made appear earlier isn't here anymore, he must be exhausted too. 

I don't have a lot of options, but I don't intend to die like that. I focus again on the one closest to me and kick him, aiming at his head and miraculously hitting my target. He's sent further away and doesn't get up right away so I guess I finally got him. I hear the other one right behind me and turn around as he pounce on me.

With his one remaining arm he slashes my leg, I fall to the ground with a groaning of pain. He comes to stand just above me, his face once human and now deformed a few inches from mine. I can't move, my muscles don't respond. I feel like for a moment I am in one of those dreams where you body doesn't obey you brain and remains paralysed. 

The monster is getting ready to stick its teeth into my skin and I can't do anything to escape because of the weight it has on me. I almost feel like it is taking its time, as if he is taking advantage of the situation. Even the pain in my leg doesn't matter right now, after all if he bites me it won't matter whether I'm injured or not.

I hear Law's voice again as if it were far away but I don't understand what he's saying. If that monster kills me now it will be him next, and that's out of the question. I come to my senses, regain control of my body and try to push it away with my hands, but despite all the effort I put into it, the monster doesn't seem to be affected in the least. He still comes closer slowly, I can smell blood and rotten meat in it's breath and I almost want to throw-up.

I don't see Law, but suddenly his katana, emitting like purple lightning, pierces the monster's head and he stops moving, held by the blade in his skull. The monster's blood splashes on my face and clothes but I can hardly feel it.

All I see is the face of the Infected right in front of my eyes, I can only think of the fact that one more second and I was doomed. Law sends him to the ground before he leans over and grabs me by the shoulders.

“Sanji-ya, are you all right?” He asks. “Did he bite you?”

I can feel the anxiety in his voice but I'm still in shock and all my concentration goes into not throwing-up. I want to answer him but can't, so I shake my head slowly. He sighs with relief and I distractedly wipe my face with the sleeve of my shirt while he watches my leg. He rips the bottom of his own shirt to tie it around my wound and stop the bleeding before helping me back to my feet.

“Come on, we have to get to Brook-ya on the other side," he says softly, supporting me. “We're not completely out of danger yet...”

A shrieking scream suddenly rises behind us, echoing in my head and hurting my eardrums. We turn around to see the Infected whom I thought I had killed, on his knees, howling to the sky. 

“What's he doing?” I ask then.

“I don't know but I don't want to stay here to find out!”

We hurry to the wide beam, at the end of which I see Brook encouraging us to go faster. Law, with one arm behind my back, helps me to move forward, but animal cries and grunts catch my attention and at the same time I am thrown to the ground violently. 

As I raise my head I see Law, already standing, his sword out and defending himself against the monster trying to come towards me. I try to get up but I can't lean on my injured leg and the ground slips because of the rain that had fallen earlier. I crawl into a corner a little further away so as not to be in Law's way when a horde of Infected come through the door we opened to get to the roof. 

At the same time the Human Infected starts screaming again and every monster turn their head towards him, totally ignoring me.

“Law!” I scream, trying to get up to help him. “Behind you!”

He turns his head for a moment to see them throw themselves at him. I can hear him swearing as he looks at me.

“Sanji-ya, go to Brook-ya!” He orders, cutting off the head of an Infected in front of him. “I can't fight and protect you at the same time, there are too many of them!”

I was going to argue but I hesitate for a second. I feel useless watching him fight all those monsters. I don't want to leave him alone in this situation but I have no choice, in my state I can't fight properly so I am of no help to him by staying there, just a burden. 

I take advantage of the fact that no creature is paying attention to me and I try to make my way to the beam as best I can. I have to admit it looked much stronger from afar and it's not very wide all things considered. Now that I'm only a few feet away, I don't really want to cross over it with more than three hundred feet between me and the ground, but I have no choice, so I'm heading towards it somehow.

**~O~**

The situation is critical and to be honest, I'm not even sure I'll make it out alive. The Human Infected in front of me may have the guts hanging out of his belly, but he is no less strong or fast, and all the others standing around me don't make it any easier either. 

As soon as I move away they block my way. I can tell then they are trying to stop me from leaving, probably under the orders of the Human Infected. All these monsters ran when the other one started screeching so I guess he has the power to direct the other Infected like this. 

I have to take care of him, I have to at least allow Sanji to cross over to the other side, I refuse to let him die because of my decision to come up here, I won't stand it.

I take a look in his direction to see if he's started to cross the sixty foot or so that separate him from the other building where Brook is. The bastard monster takes advantage of this to escape and run towards Sanji so I chase after him, slashing everything that gets in my way.

I don't have much energy left to use my power, I've been counting on it since we were surrounded in the street and I pushed a bit my limits... but I can still catch him before he touches the blond, who is getting away as far as he can. 

Some monsters then begin to approach the metal beam, I think at first they noticed our comrade on the other side and want to attack him but I understand very quickly they try to destroy our way to leave. If they succeed we'll be stuck here with them and Brook will be alone on the other side. 

Seeing another group of beasts approaching Sanji, who looks ready to fight despite his condition, I make a Room and move him out of their reach, on top of a scaffolding that looks more or less solid, dropping a huge rusty barrel where he was a moment earlier. It bursts on the ground, splashing the Infected with a liquid I quickly identify as old fuel because of the smell. 

I was about to head over to those who are still banging on the beam, noticing in passing that Brook, on the other side, seems to want to help us. I let him know it's a bad idea by gesturing at him so he doesn't move. 

Just as I was about to lay my sword down at the small group, the Human Infected throws himself at me again, trying to prevent me from saving our exit by projecting myself further. 

The bastard isn't just trying to kill us, he wants us to be trapped... He turns away from me to hit the beam and the floor where it rests. He goes after the metal and concrete, breaking it to pieces as I get up and run to stop him. 

I stab him in the back with my blade just before he had damaged the beam too much and cast a hateful glance at the creature beneath me. I swear that his growl sounded like a mocking laugh before I stuck my sword in his head. 

I quickly get up again, surrounded by the monsters remaining and which lose no time before attacking me. I wonder how I'm going to cope with the dozens of them when the strong smell of fuel catches my nose. I dodge their attacks as best I can despite the fatigue when an idea comes to me.

“Sanji-ya!” I shout while turning my eyes towards him for a second, still sheltered on his scaffolding a little further away. “Your lighter!”

He gives me an interrogating look before finally rummaging through his pockets in search of the object. He throw it at me and I immediately lit it and throw it at the pack of Infected in front of me. Those who have been hit by fuel catch fire instantly and the flames quickly turn from a bright orange to a flashing blue as the others try to run from the fire. Unfortunately for them, they are not fast enough and all of them are quickly engulfed in a concert of groans and cries amidst the crackling of the fire.

I spend a few seconds staring at the blaze, no new Infected comes through the roof's door so I can relax and catch my breath. The Room I created disappears by itself, I don't even have enough energy to maintain it and I barely stand but at least calm has returned. Sanji comes down from the scaffolding wincing and joins me with a limp and once the flames have calmed down we head towards the beam.

“Sanji-san! Law-san!” Brook calls from the other side. “Are you alright?”

“We're fine,” Sanji answers, although he has to lean on my shoulder to stand up without too much pain.

I take my bag off my shoulders and reach out to him before positioning myself in front of him, bending down to carry him, but he doesn't seem to understand, he gives me a lost look.

“Can I know what you're doing?” he asks.

“Climb up,” I simply say.

“There's no way I'm climbing on your back, I can manage on my own.”

“Sanji-ya, this beam must be a foot wide and you obviously can't walk alone, so climb up, we haven't got all day.”

He seems to balk for a few moments before finally doing what I told him. He carries my bag and puts his arms around my neck, then I get up and support him before I start to cross the metal bar. His heart beats hard in his chest, I can feel it against my back but it reassures me, I know he's alive and I managed to protect him. 

Once on the other side I don't let go of him immediately. He almost got bitten twice today and I'm relieved he's okay. I want to touch him, make sure nothing happens to him and feel his warmth on my back a little longer.

“Um, Law...” he mumbles. “You can let go now, we're on the other side...”

I reluctantly let him put his feet back on the ground and notice his cheeks have turned a slight pinkish hue but I pick up my bag and put an arm behind his back to support and take him a bit further with Brook's help. 

At the same time the rain starts to fall again and the thunderstorm resumes with greater intensity.

**~O~**

Law and Brook help me move around, we walk down a flight of steps to get inside what appears to be an abandoned building still in construction. Fortunately for us, the lower floors are dry and apparently a few people have already taken advantage of the place as a squat because ratty blankets are lying around in the corners, as well as old cans and bottles that must have been there for years, maybe even decades.

“We have to call Nami-san and the others to explain the situation to them,” I say to Brook.

He nods and pulls the baby Den-Den Mushi out of his pocket to call the others while Law helps me sit on the floor without me leaning on my injured leg. Finally sitting down I sigh and put my head against the pole on my back with my eyes closed for a moment.

In the end Luffy, Nami and Franky's group had to move away from the city centre where we are because of the wave of Infected that ran into them and they had to go back to the bus. Robin's one is somewhere at the other end of the city because they lost sight of Zoro for a while and this idiot got lost but they found him and apparently have no problem, if we don't count the grass face itself of course. 

Now that it's getting dark it's become a little too dangerous to move, especially since I can't run for the time being. So we agreed Luffy's group will join us the next day and we'll go back to the bus safely all together.

“We have to check the building to see if there are any Infected," Law declares after we hung up. “I'm going for a walk.”

“No, I'm going,” Brook cuts off, getting up before him. “Law-san, you've already done a lot today, rest here with Sanji-san!”

“It's more dangerous for you...” I intervene, raising my eyes to him.

“Yohoho! In the state you two are in, it's no more dangerous for me than it is for you.”

“You're not entirely wrong,” Law sighs after a while.

“Stay here, trust me!”

With those words he turns his back on us and whistles away. We watch him leave and then Law turns to me.

“I have to examine your wound.”

He puts his backpack on the ground and kneels down beside me. Then he tears my trousers to expose my wound and removes the makeshift tourniquet he put on earlier, which is soaked with blood, although I don't bleed as much anymore. 

He takes water out of his bag, pours some on my leg and hands it to me to drink and clean my face, then a bottle of alcohol and some compresses. Without any further ado he puts the soaked cotton on my wound. I clench my teeth grumbling because of the burning of the alcohol and can't help but give him a small disapproving look to which he replies with a sorry smile.

After that he continues his task slowly and even if it is still painful I try to put on a good face by keeping an impassive expression. He then gives me a few stitches and puts on a clean bandage, all in a few minutes. I didn't really expect it but he is surprisingly gentle while he is treating me.

“It should heal in a couple of days I think," he says once he's finished. “Now take off your shirt.”

“What?” I'm surprised when I look up at him.

“I need to see if you have any other injuries.”

“I don't have any...”

He raises an eyebrow as he looks at my lacerated garment so I end up undoing the buttons with a sigh, feeling my cheeks warm as I take it off completely. I'm strangely embarrassed to be shirtless in front of him like this even though it's only to look at some cuts and scratches and this feeling only gets worse when he starts to insistently observe me while putting his hands on my skin. It's not the same as when Chopper is taking care of me. I can feel Law's fingers gently palpating around every little wound, they are surprisingly warm compared to the cold and humidity. 

He takes his time to take care of the small wounds that run through my chest and arms although we both know it's useless. They are only scratches and will certainly have disappeared in the night, but I do not object and do not dare say a word either.

I am almost disappointed when he walks away from me once he has finished, but his gaze falls on my face and he hesitantly brings his hand to my cheek. I freeze. His hand rests on my skin and as his warmth radiates throughout my face my heart starts beating a little faster in my chest. I think back to that night last week when he did the same thing. This time there isn't anyone to bother us.

“I almost lost you today," he breaths after a while, as if it had slipped his mouth. 

My heart misses a beat.

“I'm fine,” I manage to articulate despite my dry throat while his gaze catches mine. “Thanks to you. I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for you...”

Maybe only then do I realize how true that is. He saved my life today and even put himself in danger for me. That idiot risked his life for me...

“You have friends waiting for you and caring about you," he says, lowering his eyes as his hand falls down. “I couldn't let you get killed.”

“That goes for you too, idiot...”

His gaze comes up to me and softens, then stays focus on mine for long seconds as a little smile starts to stretch his lips. He doesn't respond, but his face begins to slowly move closer to mine. 

As the distance between us decreases my heart pounds louder and louder in my chest. I notice then how his eyes are the same colour as the stormy sky outside. I've never seen them so close and I can't take my eyes off them.

“Why is your heart beating so hard, Sanji-ya?”

He is so close I can feel his breath against my skin and I can't answer, but he must suspect it's his fault that my heart is racing, right?

Suddenly his lips rest gently on mine and I close my eyes by reflex without even thinking of pushing him away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter (especially the end fufufu) it took them long enough, right ? :p  
> See you next week !


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii ! Not much action in this chapter but some talk ;)  
> Enjoy~ !

I wonder if I'm dreaming when Law kisses me, but his hand on my cheek quickly makes me understand it's real. I place mine on his neck to bring him closer to me and deepen our kiss but he gently pushes me away, taking me by the shoulders.

“I shouldn't," he articulates, turning away.

“Why not?”

“Sanji-ya...”

His voice seems sad as he looks at me his eyes are begging. I see he wants to go on but he's holding back, his hands clinging to my shoulders as if he's preventing himself from drawing me towards him again.

I didn't realize until that moment how much I wanted to kiss him and my realization then pushes me to fill the space between us to attract him back and kiss him again. 

He doesn't respond immediately but lets himself be carried away as I caress his hair still wet from the rain and savour the taste and softness of his lips against mine. Little by little his lips become more pressing, more greedy with each passing second. He gently nibbles my lower lip, asking me to open my mouth to take possession of it. 

His tongue comes to meet mine while one of his hands slides on my neck, caressing my skin. I shudder at the touch and a groan escapes me, immediately muffled by his lips. I've never known anything as sweet as this kiss and even though I'm running out of air, I don't want this moment to end for anything in the world. 

The caress of his fingers and his mouth is too pleasant for me to want it to stop, but both of us out of breath, our lips finally separate. Law doesn't move away immediately, I press my forehead against his and when I reopen my eyes I meet his steeled gaze a few inches away. A little smile stretches his lips then he caresses my cheek with his fingertips. My heart and breathing begin to calm down a little and return to a normal rhythm but some noise breaks this moment of peace. 

I look up at the source of the noise and notice an afro cut sticking out from the door frame at the other end of the room.

“Brook?” I call, although it can't be anyone else.

“I'm back!” He smiles, appearing completely and looking a little embarrassed.

“Anything to report?” I ask, stepping away from Law.

“No, not a single suspect sound and no Infected in at least ten floors down then the staircase is in a bad shape so even if there's some monsters below they can't go up, we're safe for the night!” 

“Great, but what were you doing there?” I gesture to the spot he was a moment earlier and clear my throat, my voice is raspy.

“Well, I- I came back a minute ago, but you didn't hear me and I didn't want to bother you so...”

I feel my face warmed when I understand he saw us a minute ago and look at Law hoping to get some help from him. He just answers me with a small smile.

“I- I don't-” I begin, turning my attention back to my friend without knowing what to say.

“It's nothing Sanji-san,” he says with a soft smile. “It wasn't a reproach. I was just a little surprised, yohoho...”

He turns away from us then Law hands me my shirt, which in my opinion doesn't looks like a piece of clothing anymore, but I suddenly feel even more embarrassed when I realize I'm still shirtless. I quickly put it on under his amused gaze as Brook settles down on the floor nearby. 

Now that we're in a pretty safe place and have to spend the night, there's not much left for us to do. Once I've regained my composure, we take a moment to settle down, we can finally relax a bit after the hellish day we've just had and I must admit now that the pressure has been relieved I'm exhausted. 

I start looking in my pockets looking for my pack of cigarettes when I remember I don't have a lighter anymore, I would have deserved it though... I sigh.

“What's going on, Sanji-san?”

“I can't even smoke. My lighter burned out along with those monsters upstairs and the one I keep in case is in the bus.”

Law starts rifling through his bag and hands me a little box, which I quickly identify as one of Usopp's matchboxes.

“Hana-ya gave this to me and said it could be useful, he wasn't wrong I guess,” he says.

I thank him and light a cigarette before blowing a cloud of smoke above us. Brook quickly finds us something to light a campfire to warm up and dry us off properly and then we eat the little snacks we brought, although it's not enough to call it a meal. After that Brook sits in a corner and eventually falls asleep by the fire.

I try to get up to move a little despite Law's disapproving look, which I ignore royally. It's not like I can get far anyway...

This building doesn't even have any windows, a constant draught passes inside and I probably would have found it unbearable if there wasn't a fire. I still walk towards one of the openings where a window should have been and light a new cigarette before leaning over to look outside. 

The storm has calmed down since this afternoon and the night sky is pretty much clear now. I watch a few Infected running down the streets in the moonlight while smoking distractedly. It has nothing to do with the crowd that was there earlier, their attack has definitely passed it seems. If this kind of waves of monsters are common around here I understand why nobody comes and why Law and his group had to turn back as he told us.

I muffle a yawn then turn around and notice him, a bit away from the small makeshift camp we made and where Brook sleeps already.

**~O~**

A little away from the fire, Brook is out of my sight but I can hear his regular breathing and I observe Sanji. He seems lost in thought and has been looking outside for several minutes already. I want to join him but I'm afraid I'll get carried away again when I get close to him. 

I don't regret having kissed him, on the contrary, I want to do it again but I'm totally lost. I realized it seeing him in danger this afternoon, it's too late not to feel something for him, I'm burning with desire to be close to him, to take him in my arms, to protect him, to kiss him...

For days I've been trying to resist but he doesn't make it easy for me. He's always there, when I'm alone I only have to look up to see his face. Even when I try to keep my distance or solve my problems alone he shows up without warning and his expression just before my lips touch his... 

I don't know why he cares so much about me or where he gets this need to take care of me but I can't bear it if he gets hurt again because of me and if we get closer I'm sure it will happen eventually. I understood over time that everyone getting close to me ends up dead.

I sigh and close my eyes, leaning my head against the wall behind me. I don't know what to do anymore, I am torn between the idea that I have a chance to be if not happy, at least accepted with the Mugiwara and the idea that I don't deserve this second chance after failing to protect my friends. I'm seriously starting to think maybe the best thing for me to do is to leave, whether I want it or not.

A few seconds later, I feel a presence next to me so I open my eyes but don't really need it to know it's Sanji, I didn't even hear him approaching. He sits down next to me trying to hold back a grimace of pain and I resist the urge to tell him it would be less painful if he stops moving so much.

“Does it still hurt as much as it did earlier?” I ask anyway as I look at his bandage through his torn pants.

“Only when I move, otherwise it's okay. I had worse," he answers. 

I can't help but give him a look to make him understand I didn't tell him not to move just to annoy him, but he answers by rolling his eyes. We remain in silence for a few moments, during which I just stare at the fire, which has weakened a little, so as not to look at him.

“I've never heard of Infected doing this," he says after a while.

“Neither have I,” I answer, understanding he's talking about his screams.

His shrill scream still echoes in my head and makes my blood run cold just thinking about it.

“Do you think the World Government knows about this?”

“I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised. Those bastards must know more than they're telling us, and considering what they're doing in their labs I wouldn't be surprised if they're hiding that and a lot more.”

My memories of my short stay there and of the man who was killed by the Infected in the cage come back to me but I quickly chase them away.

“Do you think the creatures we met before we got to Grand Line did the same thing?”

“It's very likely,” I answer with a shrug after a moment of reflection. “Such a large group following us like this couldn't have been a coincidence.”

Now that I think about it, Sanji has put his finger on something important. The horde of Infected who followed the bus that night was huge and acting weird, they weren't messy enough to be natural. At the time I thought it might have been this Infected Human we met, but I couldn't see how it could be possible. 

Now that I've seen this monster in action, ordering a whole group to join and help him kill us, I tell myself I was right and the thought that they would be able to do such a thing gives me the creeps. If we didn't know this filth can do something as simple as shrieking to command to the other Infected, chances are there are many other things we don't know about them.

Sanji sighs and wedges himself a little closer to the wall, touching my shoulder. I instinctively move a few inches away so that we are no longer in contact.

“I don't understand,” he suddenly lets go.

I turn my head towards him with a questioning look and see that he's glancing at me with hurt eyes, so I look away again.

“I feel like you're trying to avoid me," he says, lowering his voice.

“I'm not trying to avoid you...”

“Then what's your problem with me? Earlier... you were kissing me and now you don't even want me to touch you.”

The hurt tone in his voice makes me look up at him again but I don't know what to tell him. If he knew how much I want to kiss him again, right now, but I don't want to give in. I don't want to be hurt again as I was, I'm not strong enough to endure it one more time. We spend several seconds staring at each other as I try to figure out how to tell him things.

“Sanji-ya,” I start with no idea where I'm going. “I have absolutely no problem with you, on the contrary I-.”

“Then why do you push me away every time I want to take a step towards you?”

I don't answer for a while. It's true, since I've been with the Mugiwara I haven't really made any effort to integrate myself into their group and they've forced my hand a little, Sanji first. I haven't necessarily been very receptive to their kindness because I don't allow myself to do so but I'm finding it harder and harder every day.

Sanji sighs and starts to get up.

“It's because I don't deserve it,” I declare at the same time, looking at the ground. “I don't deserve everything you all do. I don't deserve you and everything you do for me.”

“What do you mean? Of course you do.”

“How could I even hope to be happy when the people I swore to protect died because of me?”

“Law...”

“If I push you away it's because I refuse to hope,” I look him in the eye and feel my throat tightening but I can't stop now. “There are times when it's harder than others and this afternoon was one of them. I was so relieved that you were alive and well that I couldn't resist anymore. If I want to protect you and the others it's because I need to know I'm still able to protect something... someone.”

I look down again but still feel his eyes on me. I don't even know if what I'm saying really makes sense. I must look like an idiot spouting incomprehensible things... So I'm surprised when Sanji puts his arms around me to hug me. 

He doesn't say anything, he just stays like that with me. I should have tried to get out of his embrace, tell him to forget everything I've just said and act as if nothing had happened, but I can't do that. Instead I put my arms behind his back and hug him with my head on his shoulder. 

“For what it's worth, I think you deserve to be happy, Law," he says near my ear. “I don't know what happened and I'm not asking you to tell me about it, but I'm sure your friends would tell you the same.”

I don't react, he's probably right but I still feel too guilty to approve. My throat is tight and my eyes are burning a little but it's no time to give in. 

We hug each other for a long time, I can't tell how many minutes passed before he lets go of me and sit down beside me as he was just before with an encouraging smile on his face. This time when his shoulder touches mine I force myself not to move away.

I don't know how he always find a way to reassure me but I am grateful to him for that. 

“I hope Robin-chan and her group haven't gone too far,” he says to break the silence and change the subject after a while. 

“The city is big but they shouldn't be further away than we are.”

“I wouldn't be so sure," he says. “Damn Marimo has serious skills for getting lost.”

“Is Zoro-ya's sense of direction that bad?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

“You have no idea...” he sighs.

I smile and start thinking about what we're going to do the next day after Mugiwara's group joins us. Sanji won't be cured by then so the safest thing to do would be to go back to the bus and leave him there hoping that the other group can find their way back without losing Zoro again.

I'm always deep in thought when I feel a weight on my shoulder. When I turn my head to see what it is, Sanji's hair tickles my cheek and I understand he fell asleep. I look at him for a moment and a smile takes place again on my lips. He must be exhausted too after the day we had, no wonder. 

I can hear his steady breathing not far from my ear and don't have the heart to wake him up, so I slowly move off trying to let him sleep but his head ends up sliding down on my laps. No way to move then. There I look at him, blond locks hide part of his face and I can't resist the urge to tuck them behind his ear to see his sleeping face clearly. 

He looks so peaceful when he sleeps. I run my fingers through his hair, hesitant at first and then distracted for a long time, wondering how I am supposed to repress my affection for him when I have him like this in front of me and he is one of the only things keeping me from falling apart.

This day and what he told me makes me want to enjoy what I have at hand. I probably won't be able to get used to this idea quickly but I feel like trying to tell myself I may deserve this second chance after all. 

I close my eyes and let myself be carried away by sleep, lulled by the warmth of the blond man sleeping on my laps and his slow breathing.

**~O~**

I wake up the next morning because of the sunlight and growl when I turn around. A light weight that was on my head falls off and I realize what I'm using as a pillow is quite comfortable even though I don't remember going to bed. 

I finally open my eyes and see my 'pillow' is none other than Law's laps. I get up immediately when I understand I have been laying my head on it all night, causing a pain in my leg that makes me growl.

“Hello Sanji-ya," Law says in a slippy voice. “Slept well?”

He gives me a small amused smile when he sees my discomfort and I just nod my head to answer him before looking away. Suddenly I feel his hand on my thigh and am startled before I realize he just wants to examine my wound. 

Seeing the little smile on his lips, I blush even more as he starts to undo the bandage he made the day before.

“The wound is closing nicely," he says. “I think it should be completely healed by tomorrow night but it will leave a scar.”

I shrug my shoulders, I don't care about scars, it's not the first and it certainly won't be the last. He gets up to get what he needs in his bag and comes back to do a new dressing before helping me up. 

It still hurts a bit when I walk but it's much less painful than the day before, the joys of being a Mercenary. I wake Brook up and we call Luffy's group to find out how we're going to proceed.

“Sanji-kun, Brook, Tra-o, everything okay?” Nami's voice asks.

“Nami-san! I'm glad to hear your voice again, I can't wait to see you!”

“I found a map of the city yesterday, I think I figured out where you were,” she goes on ignoring me. “We should be there in less than an hour.”

“What about Nico-ya's group?” Law asks.

“They spent the night in a house at the other end of the city. They said they found something when they were looking for Zoro out of town and they'd explain it when they got back. I think they'll be back to the Sunny before we get there.”

“The Sunny?” I'm not sure what they're talking about.

“We got a super name for our super bus!” Franky comes in behind her.

“Yeah!” Luffy adds, laughing. “The Thousand Sunny! It's cool, right?”

“Yohoho, that's a wonderful name!” Brook exclaims.

I hear Nami sigh.

“Anyway,” she says, her voice covering the other's. “Don't move until we let you know.”

We agree and stay where we are until we hear from them so we can leave this place. 

I spend the next half hour pacing around while waiting, there's not much else to do anyway. Outside the sun is shining unlike the last few days, the storm of the day before completely forgotten, so we have a clear view of all the surroundings. 

I can see the few Infected moving in the streets below, I even watch two of them fighting together until some movement draws my attention a little further away. I don't know what it is, but it's getting closer to us rather quickly and it's being followed by a significant amount of Infected.

“SAAAAAAAAAANJIIIIIIIIIIII!”

A big smile blooms on my face when I hear Luffy's voice, looking in my direction as he runs down with Nami under his arm and Franky on his heels, sometimes throwing flames at their pursuers.

“Guys,” I yell, turning around to Law and Brook sitting on the floor. “Let's get out of here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't not include the Sunny in this fic x) So yeah the ship became a bus :D  
> Hope you liked this chapter and as usual see you next time !


	16. Chapter 16

Brook and I get up immediately and I walk towards Sanji to help him go faster. As we descend I can hear the sounds of the Infected being killed by our companions below and we join them a few minutes later, greeted by the cries of Mugiwara.

“Sanji, Brook, Tra-o!" he exclaims with a big smile as he sees us arrive, while continuing to beat the Infected.

“Sanji-kun, you're hurt?” Nami asks looking at his leg.

“I'm fine Nami-san,” he says with a smile.

“Nami-san, what a pleasure to see you again!” Brook intervene. “What color are your-”

He's interrupted by the redhead's fist hitting his head.

“Now that you're here, let's go!” She adds, as if nothing happened.

We nod and Luffy takes the lead of our group by running and hitting everything that gets in his way, followed closely by Franky who is still throwing flames at the monsters that come a little too close to us. Brook behind us makes sure that no beast attacks from behind and I try to move forward as fast as possible while supporting the blond, who for once doesn't ask me to let him go saying he can manage on his own.

As I turn my eyes towards him I see he seems to be suffering. His wound is not healed yet, walking is one thing but running is another and his frowning eyebrows tell me it is not easy for him. I stop for a second to pull him towards me and put my free hand under his knees to carry him, this way he doesn't hurt and we go faster.

“Oi, Law! Let go of me!” he complains, trying to push me away and almost falling down. 

“Shut it, Sanji-ya,” I sigh as I hold him more firmly against my chest so that he stops moving.

I smile as I see his scowling face and the slight pinkish tint his cheeks have taken on. 

We continue to move forward through the waves of creatures coming at us but luckily no Human Infected are in sight, the behaviour of those attacking us is quite normal and so they don't seem to be under the control of one of them. 

After a few minutes and seeing for sure they will not get anywhere by chasing us, the number of monsters after us decreases little by little until we are finally quiet and we can stop running. 

Under Sanji's complaints I finally let him walk but still put an arm behind his back so that he can lean on me and relieve his injured leg. About thirty minutes later the bus is in sight and Luffy starts shouting to warn the others.

“What's up Ero-Cook?” Zoro says as he gets out of the vehicle with a mocking smile when he sees Sanji. “You met a sexy Infected woman and you didn't dare to blow her head off?”

“Oh shut up, Marimo,” he grunts. “There was nothing sexy about that thing...”

“Sanji!” Chopper exclaims coming up behind the green. “Are you hurt?”

“Don't worry, Chopper," he says as he gets out of my grip. “I'm fine, Law already took care of it.”

“Alright, thanks Law!”

“It's normal Tony-ya, I couldn't leave that idiot like that,” I say with a little teasing smile to Sanji.

“Stop talking about me like I'm not here...”

We all get on the bus, the others sit down and I even see Sanji breathe a sigh of quiet relief when he closes his eyes. 

Maybe the comfort of the Mugiwara has become a little too familiar to me because I really want to take a shower. As I go upstairs, Nami orders Sanji, Brook and myself to settle down for a while before we discuss a little bit about each other's findings. 

I stay a little longer than necessary under the hot water and finally get out of the shower. I wrap a towel around my waist and a few seconds later the door opens on Sanji, shirtless and a towel on his shoulder. He seems surprised to see me there, he stares at my face for several seconds without moving before his gaze gets lost a little further down.

“What's going on? If you came to join me in the shower you're a bit late,” I tease him to get his attention.

“I'm just, uh- No! Robin-chan told me the bathroom was free and-”

He stops, seems to realize something and blushes heavily before closing the door and stammering an apology. I chuckle then finish drying off.

**~O~**

I walk away from the small bathroom door, feeling stupid and trying to calm down a little. I fell asleep downstairs and when I asked Robin if she had seen Law she told me he got off the bus so I didn't expect to find him like that just out of the shower.

I couldn't help but to freeze like a idiot when I saw him practically naked, his wet hair dripping off his shoulders... no, what's wrong with me? I've never watched Law like that and I've never wanted to watch him like that, but for the last few days I can't see him innocently anymore.

I walk down the stairs and I'm greeted by Robin's amused little smile. I should have been wary when I saw her and Brook whispering outside, the latter must have told her about what he saw the day before... I give him a reproachful look and sit down again.

Law comes back down a few minutes later, fully dressed this time. I smile when I see his shirt a little too big for him. When he joined us, he had nothing with him except his sword so the seaweed and I lent him some clothes and obviously it's one of the Marimo's t-shirt he's wearing. Law may be taller than us, but he's not as big as he is. 

I go up the stairs avoiding his gaze and now that I'm sure the place is free I can finally take a shower. Once I am clean I stand under the hot water jet and start thinking about what Law told me the day before. 

I would have liked to know what happened to make him feel so bad but I don't want to ask him any more questions, I will wait until he chooses to tell me or not, I don't want to bring up any bad memories just to satisfy my curiosity. Anyway, it makes me sad to know he feels so guilty about the death of his companions. I don't know them, but I think I can understand him. 

As the leader of the group he felt responsible for them and blames himself, but that doesn't mean he didn't deserve to be happy, on the contrary... I think he's been through enough hardships already.

His kiss came back to me, the softness of his lips against mine and the warmth of his hands on my skin. I touch my mouth with my fingertips as I close my eyes to remember these sensations.

“Hey stupid eyebrow!” Zoro shouts behind the door banging on it, taking me out of my thoughts with a start. “Are you planning to drain all the water out of the bus or what? We're waiting for you to take stock!”

“Shut up asshole, I'm coming!”

I sigh and close the water, then as I dry off, I watch my wound and touch it. I don't know what it was like the day before but if it still looks like that today, it must not have been pretty. 

The sutured wound on my thigh must be about four inches long and there are still some purple haematomas all around, but they're beginning to disappear. I'm probably lucky it's not more serious, but I feel the stitches are pulling on my skin in an unpleasant way when I move. I am too proud to admit it but although a little embarrassing it was nice Law carried me part of the way back here. Luckily, it should be over by the next day, I still thank my Mercenary state for that.

I end up going out and after getting dressed I go down to join the others, who are waiting for me. 

“So you three,” Nami starts, pointing at Law, Brook and I as I barely sit down. “You are going to explain us what happened to you. And you,” she continues by showing this time Robin, Chopper, the Marimo and Usopp. “You're going to tell us what you've stumbled upon. You are all each as bad as the other here... someone always has to get hurt or lost... What's wrong with you? Won't you all just be careful for once?”

She sighs and we begin to tell what happened to us: we were looking for things that could be useful while we were getting closer to the city centre and then a mass of Infected fell on us without warning as the storm was beginning to rage.

“When we arrived on the roof of the building we came across two Humans Infected and had to get rid of them before we could take cover,” I explain. “One of them was the reason I am injured but thanks to Law I did pretty well.”

“Wait,” Usopp interrupts, raising his hand in front of him. “You killed two Humans Infected? Just the two of you?”

I nod and he lets off an admiring whistle. Honestly I don't feel like I've done much against these monsters, if Law hadn't been there with me I'd be dead already, but I don't want to go into it.

We then tell them about what we've discovered about the power these monsters have over other Infected, the fact they can control them just by screaming. They all have a serious look on their faces when they hear this, and like us, they quickly deduce the ones that attacked us when we were going to Grand Line had to be controlled that way.

Once our story is over, silence reigns for a few seconds and everyone turns to the others.

“We stumbled upon a hidden lab just outside the city," Chopper begins. “In fact we wouldn't have even noticed it if we hadn't found Zoro who had fallen into-”

“All right, Chopper,” he interrupts. “Cut to the chase...”

Usopp giggles and Robin smiles at his reaction, both of them getting a black look from the seaweed. I raise an eyebrow smiling mockingly, wondering what this idiot had done again and I intend to go and ask Chopper or Usopp what they found him in.

They go on. Apparently the building is surrounded by fences and signs defending the entrance which they finally noticed while searching the surroundings, fallen to the ground or hidden by the tall grass and trees. 

They tried to get in but were unable to open a door, not even this green oaf could do anything. According to them, the lab seems to date from before the Infected appeared and Chopper thinks we might find something interesting about them in there because they saw the symbol of the World Government on one of the facades. 

As for me, I don't have much hope of finding anything in there. As a group of Mercenaries we are supposed to find clues as to why the Infected appeared as we walk around on the surface, the problem is that so far no one has made any great discoveries in a whole century. 

We don't even know what we are supposed to be looking for and knowing the Government is hiding things from everyone we are not being helped. Despite that, we all agree we should try to get into this place, it's not like we have better things to do anyway. Nami managed to locate roughly where this lab is on the map fairly quickly thanks to the directions from the others, so we know our destination.

Unfortunately our expedition to this mysterious lab will have to wait until the next day, even if we would have had time today. Law insisted we postpone because I am still injured and Chopper agreed so Luffy followed them. 

I obviously protested saying I am perfectly capable of doing this today but there is no point in arguing with the others once they have decided something. I cast an exasperated look at the two doctors, the younger one replies with a sorry smile but the dark-haired one seems proud of him, his little corner smile tells me so. 

So that's why, while the others go back to search the parts of the city where we didn't went the day before, I find myself alone on the bus for the afternoon. Well, almost alone since Nami volunteered to keep me company. 

I would have been delighted to spend a few hours alone with her in other conditions but I feel her inquisitive look on me no matter what I do and it makes me uncomfortable. When almost two hours later I serv her a cup of coffee and I meet her eyes, I finally break.

“What's going on, Nami-san?”

“Nothing," she answers, bringing the cup to her lips. “Why are you asking?”

“You've been looking at me for some time now...”

“Well I was wondering...” she seems to be hesitating to continue, arousing my curiosity. “Sanji-kun, I was talking to Brook and Robin earlier and...”

I don't like where this is going at all but I try to hide it as best as I can.

“Is it true what Brook told us?” She's smiling now.

“What did he say to you guys?” I ask, turning to the sink, then I start cleaning it so I don't have to face her eyes.

“You and Law...”

“I, uh- I don't know what you're talking about...”

My cheeks must be red, I still turn my back to her but when she slaps on the table suddenly I turn to her with a start to see what's going on. 

“I knew it!” she exclaims, now standing up with a big smile.

She spilled her drink on the table as she moved, but she doesn't seem to care.

“You knew it what ? What the hell are you-”

“Don't take me for an idiot, Sanji-kun!” she interrupts me, crossing her arms on her chest as the coffee begins to drop on the floor at her feet. “I've noticed that there's something fishy going on between you and Law lately!”

“Nami-san, there's nothing, I-”

“No need to pretend, Robin noticed it too!” 

I don't know what to do with myself and obviously there's no point in contradicting her. I catch a sponge and clean the coffee on the table and on the floor to give me a composure before serving a new cup to Nami and sitting down in front of her.

“Then it's true?” she insists, taking a sip of her drink.

“Brook should learn to hold his tongue...” I mumble. “Who else did he tell?”

“Just the two of us, but it was only because it was a good way to end our little bet.”

“What kind of bet?”

Deep down, I don't mind if these three know there's something, or rather the beginning of something that, for all I know, may lead nowhere between Law and me. They are my family and I have nothing to hide from them, but I don't necessarily appreciate them betting on these things.

“I bet that there was something going on between you two, Robin agreed but Brook was pretty much against it," she explained. “Thanks to you we won a few Berrys.”

“But how did you...?”

“Oh please Sanji-kun," she says, rolling her eyes. “It was so obvious. When we arrived at Grand Line I admit that we still had some doubts but when you wanted to go and save him at all costs it became clear.”

I sighs, how could they know there was something then when I myself was just beginning to realize it? These women are unbelievable... 

“So?” She asks after a while. 

“So what?”

“What do you have to say about Law? He doesn't talk so much to us... He only really talks to you and I think I understand why.”

I can't help but laugh, Nami is always the first interested when it comes to gossip. Unfortunately for her I don't have a lot of gossip, everything Law told me about his life is quite personal and if he told it only to me he wouldn't appreciate I talk about it with the others without his consent.

I am glad he trusts me enough to confide in me and I don't want to betray that trust. Then to be honest I also don't want to talk about it, I want to keep these exchanges between him and me.

“I'm sorry Nami-san,” I finally answer. “All I can tell you is that even if he may seem cold Law is a good person and he deserves to be taken care of.”

I expect her to insist but she just smiles at me and finish her coffee in silence. 

Soon after, as the sun begins to go down, I start to prepare the meal. The others are soon back with a few things Usopp or Franky can use, but nothing more. 

We all eat together and the redhead sends everyone to sleep as we have a big day ahead of us. While they go to bed I start doing the dishes and a long time later I hear noise on the stairs. 

I turn my head to see Law coming downstairs.

“Do you have trouble sleeping?” I ask.

“You could put it like that, do you want some help?”

“No, don't worry, I don't have much work left.”

He still walks over to the sink and dips his hands in the water to help me so I smile and resume my task. There isn't much space so our shoulders almost touch and our arms graze each other with every movement, but I don't mind. 

We don't talk but the silence is not disturbing, it's even nice to do this with him. Once all the dishes are clean I invite him to sit down while I finish cleaning the countertop and we discuss about what we can find in the lab the next day.

“I want to thank you for listening to me yesterday," he says after a while. “I haven't had a chance to talk about this kind of thing with anyone yet, so... I think it felt good in a way.”

“You know I'm here, Law,” I say as I turn to him. “If you need-”

“No, I'm not going to bore you with my depressing stories, don't worry," he says with a smirk. “And then I also thought about what you said to me today.”

“You did? So, um...”

“You're probably right, but it's going to take me a little while to get used to the idea...”

I know all his guilt isn't going to go away in a heartbeat just because I told him he has a right to enjoy being alive after what happened to his friends. But I am satisfied he is starting to think about the idea he has the right to be happy, to have friends again and laugh without feeling guilty, and that is a good start. 

I encourage him with a look and finish cleaning up before going outside for a few minutes to smoke while he stays inside. Then I go back to escape the cold and head for my bed.

We go up the stairs and after wishing Law a good night I fall happily to my bed and fall asleep almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think they'll find in that lab ? x)  
> I hope you liked the chapter, see you next week ! :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii! Let's see what happens in this lab x)

The bus stops after more than an hour's drive when it reaches the edge of the forest, from there we are forced to continue on foot for a few miles. Sanji almost jumps out of the vehicle as soon as Franky turns off the ignition, looking happy to be able to walk and run properly. I looked at what his wound looks like today and it's almost completely healed so he can move again without pain and especially without risking it opening again. 

I noticed he doesn't like to lag behind and when he woke up this morning and was able to walk without clenching his teeth I saw a big smile of relief on his face. I find myself enjoying that smile... it's a strange feeling to be happy with someone else's little joys in this way, but it's not unpleasant.

So we start to walk among the trees, guided by Nami who has her nose in her map. We come across some Infected hidden in the tall grass or branches of the trees but nothing important enough to worry about. 

After a while, when Luffy starts to complain it's too far, I see the disembowelled remains of a fence on the ground. It is pretty similar to the one that runs around Grand Line with some rusty "no trespassing" or "secured area" signs and wonder what kind of beast could destroy a fence like this so easily. As a reflex, I tighten my grip around the handle of my sword. A few minutes later the group stops without me seeing any particular reason.

“Here it is,” Usopp announces. 

“Are you sure?” Franky asks, looking around. “I don't see anything here that looks like a lab...”

Chopper moves forward and pushes branches with Zoro's help and little by little we see a metal and concrete construction that protrudes barely three feet from the ground. Now I understand why they almost missed it.

“And I suppose that's where the Marimo fell in?” Sanji points to what looks like a chimney outlet on the ground with a mocking smile.

“Shut up, K'so Cook!”

The blond sticks his tongue out like a child and they start fighting before being quickly separated by Nami. I smile, I'm starting to get used to their little fights and find them rather entertaining now. 

Usopp steps forward and climbs on what looks more like a bunker than a lab to show us what appear to be a door, or rather a trap door. 

“We assume that's the thing that serves as an entrance," he says. “But it's impossible to open it, even Zoro couldn't break it down so we could get in.”

We all get around it and looking closer I notice recent traces probably caused by Zoro's blades but also much older ones that look like they were made by claws or fangs. 

I deduce this lab has been attacked by Infected a long time ago, but this entrance is strong enough to prevent them from entering. Even so, I doubt there's a living soul in there, it obviously hasn't been opened for years. The door is apparently solid but doesn't look that thick, I don't know what's behind it but getting in shouldn't be a problem with a Room.

“I can get us in by-”

“Gomu Gomu no... Pistol!”

At the same time, a fist crashes into the metal of the door, resounding loudly and pushing it down several inches without opening it. Everyone turns to the person responsible, who holds his hand and grimaces.

“What's wrong with you? The redhead sighs shaking her head. 

-It's a damn strong door!" Luffy laughs, whistling in admiration.

I sigh. So he has no idea how to act discreetly? He's going to end up attracting all the Infected from the surrounding area by making noise like this... 

“How do you want to get in, Law?” Chopper asks, approaching.

“All I have to do is create a Room to get us through to the other side,” I shrug my shoulders and explain. “But maybe I'd better go in by myself first and see what it's like in there.”

Instinctively I take a look at Sanji who, as I suspected, frowns disapprovingly and I almost expect him to say something. Still worrying, huh? Even so, he doesn't comment and nods like the others. 

I make a Room appear and then go to the other side of the door, I fall in the dark for just a few seconds before suddenly landing on a cold, damp floor. The first thing I notice is how breathing is harder, air don't pass easily down here it seems. I quickly get up and listen to see if there is anything underneath.

Not a single sound reaches me, except for the muffled sounds of the Mugiwara group above me, so once I'm sure I'm alone I light a flashlight to see a little more clearly. I find myself in a corridor, quite wide but completely empty and relatively clean if you consider the long time that probably passed since someone last passed here. 

The place does look deserted so I make a new Room appear to the outside and bring the others down beside me. Once the group is assembled we can move on. We have no idea how big the place is and there doesn't seem to be a soul in it but I don't like the atmosphere. 

We may be alone but I have the unpleasant feeling of being spied on. I have no idea what we're going to find in there, I have a bad feeling but we can't turn back without cheking the place now that we're here.

After a long time walking together we realize this place is huge so we split into two groups to explore more efficiently by agreeing to meet again after three hours. I go with Zoro, Usopp, Nami and Franky in one direction and the others go their own way. 

We don't even know what we're supposed to be looking for so as soon as we see a door we go into the room to search it and try to find out what was going on here before it was abandoned. So far we haven't found much despite the number of rooms and hallways we've been in, just a few rooms with empty beds and rooms that look a little too much like the one I was tied up in back in the Grand Line's lab. 

While walking, I concentrate on all the noises surrounding us and take a look around, this feeling of being watched didn't leave me since we have been here and it annoys me.

“Do you feel it too?” Zoro asks me in a low voice. “I feel like someone is watching us.”

I nod, at least if I'm not the only one to feel it it means I'm not crazy and there is something wrong indeed, yet there doesn't seem to be anything abnormal. The only noises I hear are drops of water in the old pipes and sometimes a few crackles but I put that down to the condition of the building itself.

“Guys," Usopp declares in a shaky voice. “I don't know about you, but I don't feel like hanging around here anymore... I'm starting to get the "I can't stay in this lab any longer" disease and-”

“Come on Usopp, there's nothing here...” Zoro sighs, even if he's on guard himself.

We keep moving forward. Zoro is in the lead, Franky, Usopp and Nami in the middle and I close the march so that we can't be taken by surprise and these three don't get attacked. 

After a while we reach a dead end, by lighting the end of the corridor we see a door wide enough and barricaded by boards to keep it closed. On it, a message saying not to open it but Zoro goes near it and grabs one of the planks to remove it.

“Oi, Zoro, what are you doing ? It says not to open !” Usopp shouts. He puts one hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Let's turn back !”

“We're here to explore,” the other responds while gently pushing him away. “If this door is closed like that, there must be something interesting inside!”

He's not wrong, but what's inside can just as easily kill us. I come closer anyway to help him take out the planks.

“Move away,” I tell the other three behind me, ripping one of the boards off. “We don't know what might come out of here.”

They immediately move back several steps, Usopp hiding behind Franky's large body with Nami while Zoro and I remove the last elements that prevent us from opening the door. Once this is done, the green one takes out his three katanas from their sheaths and I draw mine too, putting my ear to the door to try to discern some noise on the other side.

I hear like water flowing through pipes but nothing more. I don't think we're going to find anything alive inside but I tighten my grip on my weapon out of habit and push the door slowly after one last look with Zoro.

**~O~**

Luffy walks in front of us singing, even though I've told him several times to shut up because we don't know what's in that lab. We've been separated from the others for just over an hour now but I feel like we've been down there for at least three times as long already.

We went down three levels, searched several rooms on our way, but we haven't found anything interesting so far. We can only assume this is a place where people were being treated because we entered a room with a lot of machinery and body remains in beds, probably abandoned here when there was a problem. These patients may have been the first people who were bitten by the Infected.

I don't like this place, I feel like I'm suffocating and walking only by the light of the lamps makes me nervous, I'm afraid of running into a monster at every turn of the corridor. A rotten smell floats in the air mixed with that of stale air caused by the years that have passed since this place has been abandoned and uncontrollable shivers run through my body because of the cold. 

I hope we'll be done soon, but on top of that this place is huge. We have no way of finding our way around the corridors and Luffy keeps me from listening to the surroundings so I'm a bit on edge. He doesn't seem the least bit worried about our environment, he's just walking around as if nothing's wrong. 

By pushing another door, we enter what looks like a study room. Half-mouldy, damp sheets of paper are littering the floor and desks, in one corner there are old shelves with books of all sizes on them but I doubt they are in good enough condition to be read. As I light up all this junk I see diagrams, notes at best half-readable and I don't understand much of the medical gibberish.

“Chopper, do you understand any of this?” I ask after a few minutes.

He is immersed in several sheets and notebooks and runs through the lines with a serious air.

“I'm not sure,” he admits, his brows furrowed. “I only have some of the information, but... I think the people who worked here were doing research on the Infected.”

“Why would they have left it all behind?” Luffy wonders, sitting on the floor, in the corner.

“They must have been attacked,” Robin states, a book in her hands.

“That's weird.” I light all the room with my flashlight, looking for some hints maybe. “The door was locked when we came in, how could they have been attacked? The Infected can't open doors like that. Unless there's another way in...”

We've seen some badly decayed body parts in other rooms, also ancient blood stains cover the floor or walls in some places. But something's not right...

“If the Infected were already inside the building they didn't need to open a door.”

I turn to Chopper. He's right, if like the lab Law was taken to the scientists that were here were working on Infected, they were already here. If they were doing the same kind of experiments I don't really feel sorry for them being killed after all... maybe they had it coming.

We're still digging around a little, but I don't like the idea of staying there too long. Chopper takes away a lot of documents he thinks are important or he didn't have time to read so he shows them to Law and asks his opinion and then we leave to try to find out what happened here by looking elsewhere. 

I hope we will be able to get out of here soon, I am less and less comfortable and I feel like someone or something is watching us. I try to reassure myself telling myself it's in my head and it's the stress that makes me imagine things, but then I hear footsteps above us, as if something is running. I look up at the same time as Luffy and point my flashlight on the ceiling but there's nothing there.

“Did you hear it too, Sanji?” Luffy asks, suddenly serious.

“Yes, I did...”

“Heard what?” Brook worries, rising his head to the ceiling too. 

“Luffy... I'm scared.”

Chopper's goes to hide behind him and I'm trying to keep them quiet to hear something again but there's no sound outside of the one we're doing.

“I can't hear anything anymore, let's go on.”

We continue to watch out, pointing our flashlights all around us and praying not to see or hear anything suspicious. I light a cigarette to de-stress, hoping the others have found something more interesting than us and nothing has happened to them... or the Marimo hasn't got lost again. This is really neither the place nor the time to go looking for him. I smile at the thought but at the same time a new noise behind the wall catches my attention.

“What is it, Coq-san?” Robin asks, stopping.

Luffy, who probably heard the same thing I did, approaches the wall, puts his ear to it and listens for several seconds before moving away from it.

“There's movement behind it,” he states. “I'm not sure what it is, but it seems heavy.”

“Maybe we should check it out before we are taken by surprise,” the brunette suggests.

We nod and I notice a huge door a few feet away. I approach it cautiously with Luffy, but of course he never misses an opportunity to make a blunder. He tries to open it but seeing he can't, he punches it. 

It bangs loudly against the wall, creating a noise that probably echoes throughout the entire floor because of the surrounding silence. Suddenly a foul smell of stale and rottenness takes hold of my heart and I have to make a considerable effort not to throw up. This room must've been locked for quite a while. I drop my cigarette and cover my nose and mouth, and then I hear the others holding a gag.

“Oi, is anyone in there?” Luffy yells as he stands in the entrance. “Oh, it stinks in here!”

“Luffy-san!”

“You always put your foot in it, don't you?” I growl.

“Shishishi!”

He gives me a big smile as he turns to me and blinds me with his flashlight but at the same time a heavy growl echoes through the room he's standing in front of. He immediately stops laughing and concentrates on what's in front of him when a huge beast rushes out of the room to pounce on him. Luffy retreats just in time to avoid being shredded by one of its big clawed paws and hits it with his fist, without much result.

This monster doesn't even look like an animal anymore and it's too big to be anything we've ever seen before. To be honest I make a big effort not to run away with Robin and Chopper, I have never met or even heard of anything like this. 

While he is concentrating on Luffy, who is still trying to hit him with no result I have time to detail it a bit better, but the lack of light doesn't help. Besides his size, I feel more like I'm seeing a moving corpse than an Infected, I've seen some in a pitiful state but never to that extent. It's probably related to the time he spent locked up in there but his body has started to decompose and the scent I smelled when Luffy opened the door is coming from it. 

“Get back!” I order Brook, Robin and Chopper before I throw myself at the beast. 

As Brook puts away his blade and the three of them move further away, I run towards the Infected and my foot hits it as hard as I can on his skull, to no effect. 

Unfortunately, not only is my blow totally useless, but it also attracts his attention and he turns towards me roaring. He starts to run, I manage to dodge him by passing over him and take advantage of the opportunity to hit him on the head again.

“Oi, is he really an Infected?” I worry trying to keep my distance. “That thing's got a head harder than concrete!”

The width of the corridor isn't ideal for fighting either. We don't have enough room to move around as we want to and Luffy and I repeatedly miss getting a limb ripped off by the monster's jaw trying to avoid it. Not only is it huge, it is also as fast as we are. 

All our attacks are useless so far, but I can see Luffy is getting tired of it. He takes advantage of the monster being too busy with me to inflate his fist and violently knock it down on the monster, smashing him completely to the ground and shaking the ground. He punches several more times to make sure he's dead, sinister creaks can be heard at each shock and a bit of thick, almost black blood flows from the corpse. 

Silence falls again, only broken by our erratic breathing and Luffy's fist returns to its normal size. Chopper takes the opportunity to approach the beast and observe it.

“What's this thing, Chopper?” Luffy asks as he approaches him.

“I'm not sure because of the advanced stage of decomposition and the state you've put him in, but he has the same physical composition as a wolf or a big dog...”

“A dog?” I repeat, incredulous.” Are you kidding me, or what? This monster is at least ten feet tall!”

We've already crossed many infected dogs and wolves in the forest but none of them looked like this, it's way too big... even a bear would look ridiculous in front of this... abomination.

“Maybe we'll learn more as we continue to search the area," Robin says.

We walk away from the creature's body and enter the room where it was before and the sight I see inside when I illuminate it makes me want to turn back immediately. In addition to the smell that permeates the place and that still makes me nauseous, many bodies cover the ground. 

There must be at least twenty of them, some are dismembered, there is not enough flesh left for me to be sure, but I would say that most of them are half eaten and blood stains that have been dry for years have splashed on the walls.

I hear a little sob from Chopper before he takes a few steps back to throw up and Robin approaches to reassure him and stay with him. She hides this macabre scene from him by putting herself in front of him while we start to search. With all the things we have already seen I tend to forget this poor Chopper is almost still a child, he's the more sensitive of us.

“Try to find some documents, even incomplete ones," Chopper says once his sobs had subsided. “I don't want to stay in this room any longer, I'll study them with Law when we get out...”

Luffy, Brook and I start going around the room, picking up all the papers and notebooks that have the slightest note still decipherable but most of them are too damaged or stained to read anything. 

Our task accomplished, we don't linger before going out to continue our research elsewhere. I have a little thought for Law's group as I pass by the Infected's corpse. I hope they didn't meet the same kind of monster or they did well if it's the case but between him and Zoro I guess I don't have any reason to worry for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as usual I hope you liked this chapter, we'll see what the other group finds next time! :)  
> Until then, have a good week and see you saturday !


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Time to have something juicy x)  
> Enjoy~

Inside the room everything is dark but there is a sound of water running, although I can't see where it comes from. We go in, I walk around with my flashlight like the others and seeing there is nothing dangerous, I put my katana away and approach the desks I see at the back of the room. 

On top of it are notes and from what I understand someone worked on a fortifier or something like that. There are also some diagrams in notebooks but I don't quite understand what all this is about and much of it is in poor condition. I'm having a hard time deciphering informations but it seems to be mostly about animals even if there's also a little bit about humans. I'm quickly going through some of it now but I don't want to linger here any longer than necessary so I stuff it in my bag to study it later.

“Hey guys, look!” Nami exclaims.

Everyone turn and join her. She stands in a corner and lights with her lamp what looks like an old dashboard with a lot of buttons.

“What do you think happens if I press one of the buttons?”

“Don't do that!” Usopp panics, grabbing her by the shoulders. “We have no idea what might happen! Suppose it opens a door and a dozen Infected attack us!

“I don't think there's any power left anyway,” I comment, getting closer myself.

Franky quickly puts an end to the debate by pressing several of the buttons at the same time.

“Are you out of you're mind?! The one with the long nose shouts. 

“Relax, Usopp,” Zoro sighs while approaching him. “The Doc is right, it's been a long time since there was someone in this lab, there is no electricity here, see?” He pushes a button at random to prove what he says, except this time a metallic "clack" can be heard in the room, then like a gear starts up. 

I pull out my blade in case and when I light up the centre of the room I notice the floor starts to open.

“See! I told you this wasn't a good idea!”

“Keep your mouth shut and step back a bit Usopp, will you?” The green orders, pulling out his swords too.

The floor keeps opening up in front of us before several huge metal cylinders I can't identify come out. Everything comes to a standstill after a few seconds, then the cylinders open and a bright light coming from the inside illuminates what just came out. Inside there seem to be animals and people, floating in the middle of a liquid in individual tubes. 

At least now I know where the sound of flowing water came from, as these large chambers are still being fed by a multitude of pipes but I'm surprised it still works after so long. I get closer so I can see more clearly.

“Oï Tra-o, what are you doing? We don't know if those things are still alive!”

I ignore his remark and stand in front of one of the men. He's got a mask, which I guess was supposed to let him breathe, but I doubt after the time he spent in there he'd still have any oxygen left. I watch him for several seconds when something hits me. He and the others aren't human.

“They are Infected,” I announce, taking a step backwards as a reflex.

“Let's turn around... let's get out of here and join the others, this place is freaking me out more and more.”

“They're probably dead by now, right?” Nami asks, her voice shaking a little.

“I'm not sure about that...”

Infected can't drown, actually we can't really explain it but in absolute terms they don't even need to breathe or eat and if they don't receive any stimulation for a long period of time they go into a kind of hibernation state. 

I quickly count the boxes and fear that if the fifteen or so monsters in front of us are just sleeping we have woken them up and they don't really appreciate it. Luckily for us, they're still not moving, hopefully they're already dead.

“Why keep monsters like that?” Zoro wonders after a while. 

“This lab looks very old to me, maybe these are the first cases of Infected and scientists were trying to cure them?” Nami supposes.

It seems to be the most plausible solution but I have a doubt, we don't know what the World Government is capable of. They are conducting many experiments on humans by putting them in contact with Infected in the very city that hosts what's left of the humanity, I don't even want to imagine what they could dare to do so far from Grand Line if this lab is still used.

“We're not going to stay here forever," Zoro says, taking my mind off it. “Let's meet up with the others and take stock of what we've found.”

We've been here for over two hours, it's time to find them. The others nod and turn their heels but I still have a bad feeling. The monsters in there are not moving but we are still not sure of anything and I don't want to find myself with almost ten Humans Infected on my heels. 

“Coming, Doc?”

“One second,” I respond, creating a Room.

“What are you doing?” Franky asks, turning to me. 

“I'm making sure we can get out of here safely.”

I slice the air with my sword a few times, slicing the heads off the creatures still in their chambers one by one. The cut parts of the tubes fall with a thud and a concert of shards of glass and water spills on the ground. 

Just before I finish off the last human, he raises his head towards me and I see him starting to struggle in his transparent cage, scratching at the glass before I cut off his head too, watching his blood stain the liquid he's in.

“Those monsters were still alive...” Usopp breaths, still visibly in shock. 

Once I'm sure they're all dead, I put my sword away and head for the exit without a word, followed by the others. We have some difficulties to get back on the path we took to come but we end up reaching the place where we separated from the other group. 

They join us a few minutes later, Chopper doesn't look good but we take the direction of the exit without wasting time. I have the impression we all want to leave this place as soon as possible. 

As we move forward in silence, heavy footsteps in the corridor in front of us resound. I immediately turn my flashlight in that direction, as do the three others who heard it. 

The noise gets closer, until what causes it is just around the next bend. The group keeps its distance while Sanji, Zoro, Luffy and I prepare to face what awaits us less than thirty feet away.

A handful of seconds later, a huge beast stands in front of us grunting.

“Oi, what's that gigantic thing?” Zoro asks as he raises his katana.

“I can't believe it,” Sanji sighs. “Are there many more of those in there?”

I give him an interrogative look but the monster comes at us at the same time. I give it a sword blow as it passes me but I feel my blade hasn't even scratched it. Zoro tries to kill him too but his swords are without effect. This monster has a hard skin.

“Are you kidding me?” he is getting angry. 

We avoid a new attack and Luffy's gigantic fist falls without warning on the Infected one moment later, almost crushing us too. Seeing the monster struggling, I jump on him and stuck my sword in his skull with all my strengh, stopping all his movements. 

“Have you come across another one of those monsters?” I ask while watching the beast.

“Yes, except that the one we saw was in a much worse state than this one,” the blond answers.

“Let's get out of here before we come across another one," Usopp says, already starting to move forward, preventing me from asking any more questions. “We'll see all that later, I don't want to die here!”

So we get back on our way and I just take one last look at the dead creature on the ground as I pass by.

At the bottom of the ladder leading to the outside, I make a Room appear and make everyone pass on the other side of the door. 

Outside the air is cold and the wind is blowing hard, but I prefer this than stay in the damn lab, at least I can breathe properly. I felt like I was suffocating in there. We rest for a few moments before heading back to the bus to discuss about what we've found.

As we walk, we can finally talk about what we stumbled upon in the lab. Sanji's group came across another giant Infected in an advanced state of decomposition which Chopper said looked like a wolf and they got rid of him. I've never heard of creatures that size and strength and after having had the opportunity to face one I hope with all my heart there aren't any out there.

Like us, they found and brought back a lot of notes, drawings and other researches but haven't had time to study it all on the spot so we'll be able to take a closer look when we're on the bus, where we'll have some quiet. 

We then told them about our discovery of the room with the glass containers with Infected in it and Nami added that they won't be a danger to anyone now. 

I hope the documents we brought back will help us understand what the scientists who worked there were doing before they were killed because it all seemed very strange to me. Chopper thinks these people were doctors trying to treat the first Infected that were discovered a hundred years ago, but I have a feeling this is not quite the case, as if something is missing.

I sincerely hope we haven't wasted our time down there. Among the mass of documents we brought back there is bound to be some information of some use. 

First of all, I hope there's something that will tell us why there are giant monsters running around in the halls of this lab. Maybe we'll learn why the Infected around here are more virulent than average, I don't know. I don't even know if there's a logical explanation for it.

We finally reach the bus after a good hour's walk and miraculously didn't come across any Infected on the way, so we can leave quietly. Franky starts and Chopper and I can begin to study everything we found.

**~O~**

It's been dark for a long time and the Sunny has stopped for the night. I don't know where we are but we decided to move a little bit away from the city, there are probably other things to see there but I prefer to avoid one of us nearly getting killed like during our first exploration. 

From the moment we left, Law and Chopper have been studying the impressive amount of papers, notebooks, pads and other documents we brought back. They are so absorbed in their reading they pay no attention to anything. They talk to ask each other's opinion on something from time to time, but otherwise they remain silent and the more they read the more I feel like they look bad. 

I tried to ask them some questions with Robin but they don't want to answer us until they are sure they understand what they are looking at. After a while I also tried to read this stuff but I quickly gave up when I saw only numbers and scientific terms I didn't understand on a page.

After dinner and as we play cards I hear our two doctors talking in a low tone of voice before they finally bring back all their papers and put them down in front of us.

“Did you finally find something?” Usopp asks as he turns to Chopper.

“Yes... and we have some bad news.”

His eyebrows are frown and he looks angry, which is not like him. Law seems annoyed but no more surprised than that by what they've apparently discovered.

“I don't know where to start," Chopper sighs. “And I find it a little hard to believe it's true.”

“I don't,” Law says. “The World Government is rotten from the inside out, Tony-ya, that's nothing new.”

Our friend seems reluctant to tell us what they found, and their expression don't bode well.

“Will you finally tell us what's going on?" Nami says. “You're stressing us out right now...”

“Spit it out,” the Marimo adds.

“Well...” Chopper begins. “The remains of people we saw on beds were most likely part of the first Infected that appeared a century ago and we assume whoever was working there was looking for a way to cure them.”

If these scientists were looking to cure the Infected I wonder why this is bad news and why he and Law are wearing a gloomy expression. It's actually good news, isn't it? By bringing these notes to Grand Line we may be able to help the doctors find an antidote.

“How is that bad? It's a good thing, no?” Luffy seems lost, but I think the same thing as him.

“What Tony-ya's having a hard time saying is that if these people were trying to solve the Infected's problem, it was to fix their own mess,” Law finally lets go with his arms folded over his chest.

“What do you mean?” I frown, it doesn't look good.

“It's because of those same scientists that the Infected appeared.”

His statement comes as a bombshell. For a moment I think I misunderstood what he just said, but the way everyone's looking at him waiting for an explanation, I must have heard him right.

“What, these guys in a lab caused all this?” Usopp exclaims, gesturing to what's around. “No natural disasters? No monsters suddenly appearing out of nowhere?”

Law nods his head and points to the papers in front of him. “Most of what's there talks about the different experiments they've conducted over the years, but it's in there,” he raises a notebook he still held in his hand to show it to us. “That the interesting stuff is.”

He tosses it on top of the pile of other half-bloody, mouldy documents already on the table. The notebook is just as damaged as the rest of it, and given the state it is in, I am surprised Law and Chopper could have read anything. I look up at them, waiting for one of them to speak.

“This notebook is one of the journals a guys who worked there was keeping,” Law continues. “This place was a military lab called Punk Hazard and the head of research behind this mess we got into a hundred years ago was apparently a guy named Caesar Clown.”

And so he starts explaining to us everything they found. 

Since it was a military lab, they were doing research for the army, and therefore the WG. The original goal was to create a serum that would be able to fortify humans or animals in order to constitute a more powerful army while needing fewer soldiers. Of course they were doing everything in anticipation of wars that weren't even sure to happen. 

At first things worked pretty well because despite the fact the effects weren't huge the product was still effective but apparently this Caesar Clown started to freak out, he wanted his serum to be even more effective. He continued to improve it but the more powerful it was the more the product was making the people it was injected into lose their minds, until the army wanted to abandon the project because it was considered too dangerous.

It could have end here, but of course it didn't. This nutcase started falsifying reports so that the Government would believe everything was going well and would continue to provide him with money and tests subjects. 

When too many people started to die, the guy who kept the journal says one of his colleagues tried to make Caesar see reason but the next day he found himself as a new test subject. This madman then threatened everyone with the same fate if they tried to denounce him or stop him from continuing and as some of the scientists were of his opinion nobody tried to do anything about it. No one else tried to stop him. 

The experiments then continued. Nothing worked properly, the subjects of the experiments were more and more difficult to manage and especially more and more difficult to kill when they were too dangerous to handle. When a guy was bitten they then realized the effects of the serum could be transmitted, although the effects of the serum were slower to manifest themselves than when it was directly injected or ingested. 

It had been a year since the research had begun at the time and scientists held there against their will were becoming increasingly rare, most had ended up on the operating table and had been therefore transformed into Infected and then killed. 

The guy in the diary says at one point he was afraid his turn would come and he was fed up, he thought he should end his life to avoid turning into a monster too but he was hoping someone would eventually find out what was going on, until one day there was an accident. 

One of those who were still standing up to Caesar ended up trying to kill him and blow up the lab to make it all stop, once and for all. He failed but caused the serum tanks to leak because of his explosives. The author of the journal says they thought it had no effect but the product had seeped into the building's pipes and about three days later during night, several people turned into Infected, probably after drinking water. 

Hearing the screams of his colleagues being eaten, the man in the journal says he took refuge in a room and locked the door. An alarm then sounded and the doors locked to confine the lab so he assumed someone had closed the accesses so that the monsters couldn't escape. 

“This guy knew he was doomed,” Law concluds. “The end is illegible because of the blood stains so I guess he ended up getting killed too.”

Nobody dares to talk for a very long time, probably while everyone digests all these informations, but personally I feel nauseous. 

For years I thought I would be happy or at least relieved when I finally find out how all this mess happened but I was wrong. The guy behind all this makes me want to throw up, millions of people have died because of him, the world is upside down because he insisted on continuing his crazy experiments. What I feel right now is far from joy or relief.

“If all the entrances to the lab have been locked, how did the Infected get out?” Nami asks after a while.

Law shrugs his shoulders. “The water in the lab was contaminated so I think when it was drained it went outside and the first Infected outside must have been the animals that came to drink nearby," he says.

“Chopper said they were trying to cure the Infected,” Zoro continues. “Why doesn't this guy write about it in his diary?”

“In other notes we learned that some of the scientists working there were trying to find an antidote to the serum and were testing it on the people that had received it.”

“They were most likely working in secret," Chopper finally adds after keeping silent for the whole time Law was telling us this story. “Otherwise they would have been killed too.”

“So these huge Infected were created in the lab too?” Usopp finally adds.

Law nods. “As if that wasn't enough, this Caesar was working on a way to turn living things into giants,” he declares with contempt. “He simply had the good idea to mix his two projects together.”

“And what happened to this guy in the end?” Zoro lets go. 

“I hope he got eaten alive by one of his experiments or that he transformed himself,” Law answers. “That's all he deserves.”

“The good news," Chopper resumes with an encouraging smile. “Is that in what we got we found a lot of stuff on this antidote. With time, it might be possible to finalize it...”

“But that could take years, Tony-ya.”

“It's still worth a try.”

We keep quiet again for a long time until Brook finally breaks it.

“Excuse me," he says, hesitantly. “This may sound like a stupid question, but, why haven't we heard about this before? The World Government has always said that we don't know where the Infected came from...”

“Because the people who knew about this covered it up,” When I finally manage to speak, my voice seems strange. “Just like it was the case with the immune people. It's all their fault and they don't want anyone to know.” 

Law and Chopper continue to tell us about their findings for most of the night and answer all the questions we have. When they finally have nothing more to tell us, the others go to bed dragging their feet. 

I feel like learning all this has drained all my energy but still I don't feel like sleeping, I probably won't manage to anyway because of all the thoughts flooding my mind so I go outside to get some fresh air and think about it, hoping the cold wind will help me organize my thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand now we know how Infected appeared! This crazy Ceasar did something stupid again...  
> I hope you liked this chapter! see you next week :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Happy spooky day y'all!  
> We're halfway through the story with this chapter!  
> Enjoy~

All my life I thought the Infected appeared naturally or at least I thought it was nobody's fault, but now we know the world is as it is today because of one man who was too greedy. 

Outside, I walk away from the bus and light a cigarette while sitting on the ground and against a tree, already shivering a little. It's November and it's colder than normal but I don't mind, it feels good in a way and makes me think a bit about something else.

I still find hard to believe everything we learned today, Law and Chopper told us a lot of things but if it is indeed possible to produce an antidote then it could be all over. It will probably take months or even years but thanks to this, humans may be able to return to the surface and finally stop living underground. For me this possibility is enough for us to do our best to succeed. 

Shortly afterwards, I hear someone coming out of the bus and as the person approach I don't have to turn around to know it's Law. He stands beside me without a word and looks up at the sky for a long time before finally laying eyes on me and sitting next to me. I don't feel like he is affected by all this as much as I am and I feel a bit jealous for a second. 

“How is it that this whole thing doesn't seem to surprise you as much as the rest of us?” I ask him, blowing a cloud of smoke. 

“I don't know...” he shrugs. “Maybe I'm good at hiding how I feel?”

He's got his little smile on his face, if it's really an act he's good at it...

“Seriously, of course I'm surprised. I hadn't expected much when I walked into this lab and we came across this. I thought after our time at Grand Line the WG's actions could no longer surprise me. But if you think about it, all we learned is that the fact they make mistakes without taking responsibility for it isn't new.”

I look down and chuckle nervously. He's not entirely wrong, but I think it's sad he's not more optimistic about all this. He doesn't seem to see all these new informations can lead to good things, not just new reasons to be angry. 

I wish he could see we may have found a solution to humanity's major problem in this abandoned lab, even though I have no idea how we can use any of this and despite the horrors we also found in there. Though unfortunately, despite this good news we don't have a lot of resources to do anything...

“What's wrong, Sanji-ya?” He asks.

He puts a hand on my arm, making me turn towards him.

“It's just... I was wondering what we're gonna do now that we know where the Infected are coming from. It's not like we can tell the Government...”

“That wouldn't be very smart indeed," he replies with a little smile. “But well, Tony-ya and I will continue to study what we have and see what we can do together but we'll have to go back to Grand Line at some point.”

“You must still be wanted,” I comment, remembering the posters in the city when we left.

“And so are all of you after what you've done, but that's not gonna stop you, is it?”

I sketch out a smile. Indeed, if we need to go to Grand Line we won't have a choice anyway.

I don't want to dwell any longer on the dark truth we've learned or think back to what we saw in the lab so we just sit there without talking for a while, during which I can't help but glance at Law. 

Since he kissed me I've been thinking about it regularly... almost every time I lay eyes on him, actually. I feel good when he is close to me, soothed, like now and I want to feel his lips against mine again, his warmth against me. I think he wants that too but I never really know what he's thinking and even if he does, I don't want to rush him. Maybe he's not ready to let go yet. 

To tell the truth, I'm not sure about what's going on between us. With the constant threat of the Infected, people prefer not to get attached, especially Mercenaries. Since we are constantly on the surface, we face every day the danger of being killed or seeing someone we love die right in front of our eyes. But isn't this constant danger a good reason to follow our heart and do as we want ?

It's probably because of fear after what happened to him that Law doesn't want something to happen between us, but I want it and I wonder what would happen if we were no longer threatened.

“If the Infected were to disappear, what would you do?” I ask then, lighting a new cigarette.

“I don't know. To be honest I never thought about it," he ends up answering after thinking for a few moments. “If the Infected were no longer a problem people wouldn't need the Mercenaries, we would become useless.”

“It would be a chance to do something different, at least we wouldn't have to spend our days worrying about getting killed or killing monsters.”

“I've gotten used to it, this life I mean. In all the time I've been on the surface, I don't even know what it's like not to live that way anymore. This life suits me and I don't know how to do anything else anyway.”

“That's not true, you're a doctor and you're good, I know that. You might as well do this once this whole mess is sorted out.”

“I like your optimism Sanji-ya but we don't have much, what makes you think we're going to get anywhere?”

“And what makes you think we won't?”

We certainly don't have much and we're probably the only ones who have this information, but I don't want to focus on the bad and that doesn't have to stop us from hoping. He smiles and looks away before he speaks again.

“What about you then?” he asks. “What would you do if there were no more Infected?”

“The person who raised me, his name is Zeff and he owns a restaurant in Grand Line. Before I met Luffy I worked there so I'd probably go back to him. And I love cooking, so it makes sense I guess.”

His smile widens slightly and his eyes soften. 

The idea I could just go back to the Baratie with the old man is appealing when I think about it, I must admit. The days I spent there in the kitchens were some of the best moments of my life, even though I don't regret leaving in any way. 

I know even if our group split up we would keep in touch. After all, we've been through so much together for the last two years, we couldn't do otherwise but... I'm afraid it's not the same for Law. 

It's only because monsters almost killed him we met and in the last few weeks I have become very attached to him. I suddenly realize if we all start a new life there's a chance I won't see him after that because he doesn't like the underground city, I'm sure he'd rather be alone on the surface. My chest strangely tightened at the thought as I look up at him.

**~O~**

For a few moments Sanji seems to be deep in his thoughts and his cigarette has burnt itself almost completely on the corner of his lips, he may be thinking about what his life would be like if the Infected disappeared. He would be happy about it, i'm sure, but as for me I don't know what it would means. 

I've never done anything else important in my life except kill monsters to survive on the surface and I never thought they might not be there anymore, not in my lifetime anyway. I also got used to the idea I would die fighting many years ago so I never thought about what I would do after my life as a Mercenary was over.

As I look up at Sanji I notice he is already looking at me and a sad look has taken place on his face. 

“You're making a face. What's wrong this time?” I ask in an amused tone hoping to chase away this sadness.

He looks down with a slight smile on his face and I could swear his cheeks have taken on a slight red tint as he throws his cigarette on the ground and smash it. I guess it's so he doesn't have to look at me and maybe I shouldn't, but I can't help but think he's adorable. I'm sure he doesn't show this face to anyone else and I feel privileged to be the only one to see this shy side of Sanji. Even so, he seems to have a hard time telling me what he has so I encourage him with a look.

“If we return to a normal life,” he starts hesitantly, rubbing his neck. “Do you think we'll see each other again?”

My heart tightens when I see the mix of hope and apprehension on his face that he tries to hide and I can't hold back a smile. Nothing is done yet, we only have vague clues about something that can potentially work and make the Infected disappear and thus give a new life to millions of people and despite the scale of all this that's what he's worried about ? How can he doubt it? 

I remain silent for several seconds trying to figure out the best way to formulate what I want to tell him, but there is only one possible answer. During this time he seems to be waiting for me to say something with concern.

“I think I know what I want to do if the world doesn't need the Mercenaries after all," I say.

He turns his head towards me without understanding what I mean, so I rather show him and give in to the temptation that I have been resisting for the past two days. I put my fingers on the back of his neck to draw his face towards mine and put my lips on his. 

He stands still for a moment before I feel one of his hands resting on my shoulder and he kisses me as well. His lips are soft, he opens them like an invitation so I take advantage of this to slide my tongue inside in search of his. Strangely the taste of tobacco on his tongue is pleasant, maybe because it's Sanji, I don't know, but I kiss him even more ardently.

I don't know why I want to be with Sanji so much. The last time I kissed him I was afraid he would push me away, it would have been easier to keep my distance if he had, but I was relieved he wanted it as much as I did, just like now.

His hand comes up, I feel his fingers getting tangled in my hair and then caressing my jaw as our mouths stay against each other. I hold him close, putting my hands behind his back and put him against the tree behind him to feel his warmth more closely. His skin and mouth are warm, contrasting delightfully with the cold and the wind.

I don't know how I could do without this feeling after tasting it once. As his tongue dances tirelessly with mine my mind empties, all I can think about is his breath becoming faster on my skin, his lips against mine and how much I want to stay like this with him. 

We end up a few inches apart, both of us out of breath and I open my eyes again to meet his slightly misty look.

“So... should I take that as a yes?” he breaths with a smile on his face while continuing to lazily caress my hair.

I start laughing as I take him in my arms and hide my face in his neck, where I can smell his pleasant and surprisingly reassuring scent, a mix of soap, spices and tobacco. How can he doubt that we are going to see each other again when I cannot look at him without wanting to hold him close as I do now? He must be pretty bad at guessing what people are thinking, or else I really manage to effectively hide how much I care about him.

“I don't even know why you're asking,” I answer, kissing the skin on his neck. 

I've made the decision to give it a shot, I'll never forget my friends and I'll surely always be angry at myself for what happened to them but I can't keep acting as if I'm insensitive to Sanji, I can't do it anymore, I don't want to. 

He's been like a landmark for me since I've been alone and I want him to know it's thanks to him I'm still alive and still fighting. I've never attached myself to someone in this way, I'm not really used to this kind of relationship with people but I want to be with him. Maybe for the first time I know I want to do something else than kill Infected for the rest of my life.

His arms go behind my back and we stay like this for a while. The cold doesn't bother me because I can feel the warmth emanating from Sanji against me and the crook of his neck is warm. Then anyway I'm comfortable here, I feel calm and safe. I put a few more light kisses on his skin and feel him laughing softly above me when I see white flakes falling on the ground around us so I end up raising my head.

It's rapidly snowing harder, and as I turn my attention back to Sanji's face I notice many flakes caught in his blond locks and even one in his eyelashes.

“Perhaps we'd better get back on the bus,” I smile, running a hand through his hair to remove the snow.

“I don't know, I don't really want to...”

He grabs my face and pulls it towards him to kiss me again so I let myself go and welcome his kiss with pleasure. A soft warmth spreads in my stomach while our lips meet again and again and I put my hands behind his back to press him against me. 

“Sanji-kun! Tra-o! Where are you guys?” Nami's voice echoes further away, slightly muffled by the snow.

Hearing it I reluctantly let go of the blond's lips and we exchange a slightly disappointed look before I move away from him and we both get up, suddenly assailed by the cold now that my body is no longer in contact with his. I turn away from him and get up then turn in the direction of the redhead's voice after touching his cheek one last time.

“We're here, Nami-ya,” I shout. 

She appears a few seconds later from behind a tree with a little amused smile for Sanji, whose hair is tousled and his cheeks are slightly red.

“Nami-san,” he smiles, running his hand through his hair to fix it. “You're not sleeping yet?”

“You both disappeared so I was wondering where you went, but apparently I didn't have to worry.”

I don't see what she is driving at, but she quickly turns her heels and heads for the bus.

"I won't bother you any longer," she says, without turning to us. “I'm leaving first.”

She disappears behind the trees and I'm about to follow her when Sanji holds me off by the sleeve of my jacket. Before I could say anything he puts his mouth on mine again, which makes me smile.

“We should go,” I mutter between two kisses. “She could come back...”

“That would surprise me,” he replies. “But even if she comes back I don't care, I'm not done here.”

He muffles my laughter with his lips and we keep kissing then, when we start running out of air and the cold becomes too bitter, we finally pull apart to return to the bus a few minutes later. 

When we enter the others are already up and probably all sleep so we start to go up in silence and stop in the middle of the staircase.

“Good night, Sanji-ya,” I whisper, kissing his cheek before entering the room where everyone else is.

I go to bed and hear him do the same before closing my eyes and, for once, fall asleep almost immediately.

**~O~**

The next morning when I open my eyes, all I can think of is Law and the memory of his kisses the day before. I even wonder if I haven't dreamed, I can't believe that it did happen. I managed to forget the horrible things that we saw in the lab less than 24 hours ago. 

I stay in bed for a few minutes, a slight smile on my lips, remembering those moments with him. He didn't say much but I know it was a promise that he would stay with me. Thanks to that I know he will be there even if he's not forced to follow us.

“Oi K'so Cook, you're gonna stay there, smiling like an idiot for a long time?”

I jump with surprise and stand up to see Zoro, I was so absorbed in my thoughts I didn't even hear him. I look at him with an annoyed look but he doesn't add anything, he just turns around and leaves me there. Looking around me, I notice I'm the only one still in bed and everyone else has already gone down. I take a look at Law's empty bed before I get up and go downstairs too.

When I arrive with the others, I immediately notice Law sitting next to Robin. He lifts his eyes to me, smiling as he sees me and I respond in the same way and then turn my eyes away when I see the one of the two women starring at me. I don't like to be observed this way... I pour myself a cup of coffee and join my friends around the table.

“So, what are we doing?” I ask then take a sip of my drink. 

“Chopper wants to continue studying the notes on the antidote in order to try to make one that really works,” Usopp replies.

“And Law-san wants to help him,” Brook adds. “So until they find something interesting we'll stay there, but I'm sure they'll succeed!”

“You weren't very optimistic yesterday, though” I comment, raising an eyebrow to Law.

“You can say something changed my mind.”

“They're going to make us a super antidote!” Franky suddenly exclaims.

He smiles at me again and a gentle heat spreads in my stomach. So our little 'discussion' yesterday made him want to act. Interesting... I am pleased to hear that.

After a quick breakfast Law and Chopper get to work while we wait for them to find something new. We don't know how long it can take and for all we know scientists in this lab have failed to make an antidote for months or years so the task is not easy, but I trust both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it, I really like writing fluffy scenes x)  
> See you next time!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Time for chapter 20 :)  
> Enjoy~

Several days have passed since we visited this damn lab and since Chopper and Law have been working on an antidote following the notes they have. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a complicated, incomplete mixture whose ingredients are not the easiest to find, especially in the middle of nowhere. 

From what I understand from what they've explained to us in terms of their progress, the elements needed for this antidote are related to the ones the scientists used to make the base serum, so they can rely partly on that as well. In addition, because of some documents's state they are sometimes forced to guess or deduce things from other notes, which makes the task even more complicated. 

Because of all this we were even forced to go back to the Punk Hazard lab to try and find new information, or even ingredients that might still be usable, despite the protests of some of us.

Taking all of this into account, they seem to be doing pretty well and so our biggest problem now is that our supplies are starting to run low and some of the ingredients our two doctors need are only available in town so we're going to have to go back to Grand Line in a little while. 

I hope Law's search has calmed down in the city but it has been less than three weeks since we returned to the surface and the guards must still be suspicious, especially since we must be in their sights too after attacking and partially destroying one of their labs to get our friend back.

I also have the feeling Law is more determined than ever, he dives into his work all day and also practically all night and even though he acts as if nothing had happened, I can see he hardly sleeps at all. When I get up before dawn his bed is already empty and I find him downstairs studying documents. I'm glad he takes it so much to heart, but maybe he's overdoing it a bit.

Other than that, I've caught him observing me a few times while he was studying things with Chopper and I feel like the moment we shared together a few days ago was like a trigger for him. I could see he seems to be making an effort and several times he took advantage of the fact we were alone to get close and embrace or kiss me. I am not complaining of course and I am more than happy he allows himself to act this way with me, I am discovering a new facet of his personality that I like more and more but I have the impression the others are beginning to suspect something. 

Of course Nami, Robin and Brook are not dupes, I already noticed small glances of the two women and the redhead has not had much difficulty to guess what she interrupted when she saw us last time. 

Surprisingly I don't care, I'm too happy Law is opening up to me little by little for the fact these three realize something to really matter to me. To tell the truth, even if everyone notice something I don't mind, they are my family. I could tell them myself but I don't know if Law wants us to keep it to ourselves so I'd rather not say anything for the moment. It's not that I want to hide something from them, but I like these stolen moments, just the two of us.

We're all gathered around the table, deciding what we're going to do, or rather where we're going to go.

“Do we really have to go?” Usopp complains. “Maybe there are other things we can get from the lab instead...”

“You don't even want to go anywhere near this lab and you want us to go through it again?" Zoro comments, raising an eyebrow.

“Not me, but I figured you, Sanji, Tra-o and Luffy could go... We're probably wanted in Grand Line, you know ? Am I the only one here who's worried about having to go there?”

“Obviously...”

“It's not like we have a choice,” Law adds. “If we don't go, we can't keep developing an antidote.”

Usopp sighs and lays his head on the table with an annoyed look. 

“Don't worry guys," Luffy says. “We'll find a way in and Chopper and Tra-o will get rid of the Infected with their antidote in no time!”

I see Law rolling his eyes, making me smile. Luffy's always had a knack for stating things like they're easy when they're not.

“Can't Shakky or Rayleigh help us get into town?” I ask. “There's got to be a way to get to Grand Line past the guards.”

“Let's just go in there and force our way in,” The Marimo declares.

“Yeah right, and we'll do the same when hundreds or thousands of guards fall on us before we even get into town,” I can't help but being sarcastic with this idiot. “Do you ever think for a second?”

“It's true, if there's a way to get in by fooling the guards, they're the ones most likely to know something about it,” Nami interrupts before the seaweed head can answer. “We can still try to contact them with the Den-Den Mushi Shakky gave us before we left last time but we're too far from Grand Line for it to work right now.”

So we have no choice but to get closer to there before looking for a way to go underground unnoticed.

“Well, since we have no choice, let's go now," Franky says as he gets up and heads for the driver's seat after a moment of silence. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get there.”

The bus starts less than a minute later and everyone is more or less in the same state of mind I think. We don't really know what we're going to find when we get to Grand Line and we're a little scared of what awaits us there but we have to go, it's about the salvation of mankind after all. 

We haven't moved around too much in the last few days. There aren't many Infected around so we've stayed in the same place and we must be about a week's drive from the city. That leaves plenty of time for those who are apprehensive about our arrival to stress out like Usopp or Chopper, although the latter is more determined than ever to do something about it.

**~O~**

Six days after we left, we're not too far from Grand Line. I don't want to go there, even less than I did last time but I know it's necessary so unlike Usopp I'm not complaining. 

With Chopper we are still trying to understand how the scientists who were researching the antidote worked, but the task is proving to be even more complicated than it seems. Some calculations and notes are coded so that someone who was not supposed to read them cannot understand them and others are missing or illegible. I'm getting more and more annoyed by not moving forward, so I sigh as I put the pencil in my hand down and close my eyes for a moment.

“You should take a break,” Chopper advises me. “I know you want to move on, but you've been at it since this morning, there's no point in going on about it like that.”

“You're right, Tony-ya, I'm going to freshen up.”

He doesn't know it, but I've actually been trying to figure out the part of a notebook I think is important since the night before. I rarely sleep more than two or three hours a night and I've finally gotten used to it, so I'm taking advantage of the time I save because of my insomnia to work longer. Work is always better than the alternative, which is to turn bad thoughts in my head.

We've been going over a week re-reading what we have and trying to complete some equations but I feel like we've barely made any progress. It's probably the first time I've done something that matters so much so I'm giving it all I have but at this point I'm exhausted, I have trouble thinking and a persistent headache has taken place in my skull.

I get up and head for the stairs. I go up to the bathroom and turn on the water before splashing my face for several seconds. The cold water feels good and wakes me up a bit, I stay there for a few moments and close my eyes when I hear footsteps on the stairs and someone stopping in the doorway.

“Is everything all right?” Sanji's voice asks.

“I'm fine,” I answer, turning to him. “What makes you think otherwise?”

I've seen him watching me these past few days and I don't know why, but he seems worried. He comes up to me and puts a hand on my shoulder looking worried.

“How long has it been since you slept, Law?”

“Last night,” I lie.

I have to admit, I don't remember but really it must be two days. I haven't been able to get a full night's sleep in weeks and it's been even worse lately, even when I manage to close my eyes I don't get much rest. From the look in his eyes I suspect he already knows it.

“You look exhausted," he continues, putting his hand on my cheek this time.

“I'm fine...”

He doesn't seem convinced, but he doesn't add anything except raising an eyebrow. 

His touch is pleasant and I regret he doesn't leave his hand any longer when he takes it off but instead he takes me in his arms so I don't complain. He hugs me, I put my arms behind his back and put my head on his shoulder with my eyes closed. It's rare for him to do this kind of thing when the others are just downstairs, but it's nice.

“If there's something wrong you know you can talk to me, Law," he says quietly. “I'm here for you.”

I know he means it. Since we met he has taken care of me and I don't want to keep depending on him for everything, but he deserves that I talk to him a little more, if only to make him worry less about me.

“Well since... _that_... I've been waking up with nightmares almost every time I close my eyes,” I confess after a while, a little ashamed. I feel a bit like a child. “Because of this I hardly sleep at all.”

He remains silent but his embrace tightens a little around me.

“You don't have to worry Sanji-ya, it's okay.”

“Stop telling me not to worry,” he says. “I can't not worry about you so come with me.”

He drops me to grab my arm and take me to the dormitory, so I understand he wants me to sleep.

“Sanji-ya I have to go back and study these documents with Tony-ya, I don't have time to-”

“All this stuff will still be here in an hour or two so if you keep complaining I'm gonna knock you out. Right now what you need is rest. Luffy,” he adds a little louder so he can hear it. “Tell Chopper that Law isn't feeling well, I'll look after him while he rests.”

I hear his friend nodding so I sigh but don't argue, I don't know if he's really capable of knocking me out to force me to take a nap but I don't want to give it a try. 

He leads me to my bed before letting go and crosses his arms on his chest then seeing that I don't move he pushes me himself to sit on it. I look up at him with a bored look in my eyes.

“I'm not a child anymore Sanji-ya, and I don't feel like sleeping,” I grumble, starting to get up.

“Then stop acting like one," he replies, approaching to put his hands on my shoulders, and thus preventing me from getting up.

I can't help smiling when I see him looking so serious and even knowing full well he won't leave me alone, I try to push him away again, and his pressure on me increases. 

In spite of myself, it makes me want to tease him a little so I stop trying to get up and pull him towards me instead. Surprised, he loses his balance and falls on top of me, I take advantage of this to grab him by the waist and let me fall back on the mattress before swapping places to find myself on top of him. His serious look has disappeared, replaced by confusion and I even see his cheeks slightly blushing when he realizes what position he's in.

“I have an idea,” I smile, bringing my face closer to his. “Why don't you sleep with me?”

“I'm not the one who needs it..." he answers, looking away. 

“I know, but maybe I'll sleep better if you're here...”

I smile amusedly at him, but deep down I'm only half joking. I don't want to have the same bad dreams again but maybe I'll be able to rest if I know he's near me. I thought he was going to try to push me away to get up but surprisingly he doesn't move so I lie down beside him and turn towards him.

“I'm staying here," he says. “So sleep now.”

I laugh softly and start stroking his cheek. He closes his eyes a few seconds later. I don't know if it's to encourage me to do the same or just to enjoy my caresses, but I imitate him and after a few minutes, rocked by the movements of the bus and the sound of his breathing, I end up falling asleep.

When I open my eyes it takes me several seconds to remember where I am and I don't know how much time has passed but the first thing I see is Sanji's face right in front of mine. He has obviously ended up falling asleep as well.

It may be strange to think but he is even more touching when he is asleep and to be honest I wouldn't mind seeing this every time I wake up. Besides, it may be a coincidence but I prefer to think it is thanks to his presence that I managed to sleep a little without being disturbed by nightmares. 

I put my hand to his face, pulling out a few blonde locks that pass in front of his eyes. He may not need as much sleep as I do, but I don't want to wake him up.

At the same time, footsteps on the stairs are heard, I take my hand away and turn to see who's coming. A few seconds later, Chopper enters the room and his eyes are on me.

“Law, you awake?”

I raise my head to let him know yes and his gaze lingers on Sanji for a moment, although he doesn't ask why he's sleeping on my bed with me.

“Luffy said you weren't feeling well earlier," he continues quietly. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, thanks, Tony-ya. How long was I asleep?”

“A little over two hours.”

It's less than I thought it would be, but I feel much more rested and my headache's gone, so I guess that's enough.

“I'll go downstairs and help you work. Sorry to leave you alone with this.”

“No problem," he smiles. “You needed it, apparently.”

“Can't you go somewhere else to talk?" Sanji groans with a sleepy voice. “There are people sleeping here...”

He opens his eyes and seems to take several seconds to figure out where he is. Seeing me smiling a few inches away from him, he starts to blush and moves away as far as the bed allows while Chopper comes down.

“I wasn't the only one who needed rest, I see,” I tease him.

“I can't help it,” he sits down. “You put your arm around me but when I saw you were sleeping I didn't want to wake you up and I ended up falling asleep too.”

He keeps silent for a while and then get up and left the room, leaving me alone. Looking out of the window I notice the sun will soon set and we will stop in a little while. 

I watch the landscape pass before my eyes distractedly for a few minutes when I hear Nami tell Franky we are close enough. The bus starts to slow down and finally stops in the middle of nowhere.

I then get off to join the others. When I get downstairs, I see the whole group around a Den-Den Mushi, waiting for someone to pick up.

“Well, Monkey-chan's group. What are you doing down here?”

“Shakky-san!” Nami exclaims with a smile. “It's a long story but we need to get into Grand Line, it's very important.”

“The guards are still after Trafalgar-chan and your wanted posters quickly joined his, you know? After the mess you made the last time you came here, we can't really say you're welcome in town...”

I can see Usopp putting his head in both hands sighing as Luffy bursts out laughing at the announcement. It doesn't surprise me that every one of them is wanted, after all they did enter a secret laboratory of the World Government and destroyed it partly because they were looking for me.

“Do you know a way to get into the city past the guards and security posts?” Robin asks.

“Of course, who do you think you're talking to?”

A sigh of general relief echoes. This woman amazes me, she seems to be really aware of everything that goes on at Grand Line. I've heard rumors before among the bad guys in the neighborhoods like Whiskey Peak that there are secret entrances to get into Grand Line and that's how some of the contraband gets into town, but I always thought those were just rumors.

Nami grabs the Den-Den Mushi with a large smile. “We're listening Shakky-san!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little fluff and a Law who needed to be reassured a bit, I hope you liked this chapter! :)  
> See you next week!


	21. Chapter 21

It has been dark for a long time, an ever-thickening blanket of snow covers the ground and the moon is obscured by a few clouds. I am starting to freeze in place although we are sheltered while we wait in front of a hidden door at the bottom of a cave around Grand Line. 

We had to abandon the bus further away, hidden among rocks and trees and Shakky told us to wait here for Rayleigh to join us so that we could enter the town with him, but he is getting late. We've been here for almost half an hour and I'm starting to wonder if he hasn't forgotten us.

“Rayleigh-san is late,” Brook observes. 

“He may have had a problem on the way,” Robin comments. “After all, what he's doing is illegal, he has to be careful.”

“He'll be here,” Luffy assures. “He can be trusted.”

Everyone's quiet, I hear a sigh and we keep waiting, until there's noise on the other side of the door. I see Zoro and Law put a hand on their swords out of habit before the door opens to let Rayleigh through then they relax quickly.

“Rayleigh!” Luffy exclaims, getting up and smiling.

“Sorry I'm late,” he answers with a smile too. “A lot of guards are hanging around town and I had to make a few detours to get here. Come along.”

He immediately pulls to the side and invites us to walk past him to get in. He then closes behind us and takes the lead of our group through a rocky corridor without any visibility, fortunately Franky has something to light our path. He points his lamp at what's in front of us and we start to follow the old man. 

Not a single one of us speaks, all we can hear is the sound of our footsteps on the earth resonating against the rock faces. The path descends slightly and I begin to wonder if it is going to be like this all along. If it is, we would surely take hours walking down the hundreds of feet that separate us from the bottom, and thus from the city. 

After a while, the slope becomes steeper and we arrive in front of a huge hole whose bottom I can't see. Rayleigh bends down and grabs the first rung of a metal ladder I hadn't noticed. He starts going down without a word, gesturing to tell us to follow him so we obey.

“How much longer are we going to climb down like this?” Usopp asks after a few minutes. 

“Don't worry Usopp-kun, we'll be down soon,” the old man reassures with a laugh. 

We're going deeper and deeper underground. I'm not a big fan of the normal Grand Line entrance, the huge elevator doesn't make me feel very comfortable, but this passage makes me completely claustrophobic. 

Even though the ground hose is wide enough and I know we're safe I feel like I'm suffocating and the fact I can hardly see anything doesn't helps. By reflex I look at Law, just below me, and he responds with a small reassuring smile I see despite the low light.

We finally reach a ground again after a long time, to my great relief, but a new dark corridor awaits us. We walk down it until I can discern we are coming to a dead end. A few feet further on, our group stops and as I look up I notice a wooden trap door above our heads as Rayleigh turns towards us.

“We're arriving," he says in a low voice. “Through that hatch we will be in Grand Line. We're not far from Shakky's bar but we're too many to go unnoticed so we'll go in two groups.”

We nod and then he starts to explain the way to take once outside so that the group he's not accompanying doesn't get lost. Rayleigh himself, Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Zoro leave after having folded their hoods over their heads to avoid being recognized. 

We wait a few minutes before we too pass the hatch to get out of this oppressive underground. We arrive in what seems to be the basement of a house, probably abandoned, which we cross before going to the main floor and going out through the front door. We arrive in a part of town I know vaguely and follow the path Rayleigh indicated. 

I pull my hood over my head to hide my face as best I can but I can't help but look all around as I walk. I am not used to being considered a criminal but I have noticed a few wanted posters in the name of the Marimo, Luffy or even my own as we go along. All our members are wanted now.

I have the feeling the gaze of the people we cross path with lingers on our group. I know we haven't really done something wrong but my heart beats fast in my chest because I am still afraid someone will recognize us or we will meet a group of guards. I have no idea how we should react if that happens, fighting isn't the right solution but we have nowhere to hide besides the Rip-off Bar and we can't go there with guards chasing us.

“Relax Sanji-ya,” Law murmures right next to me while slightly squeezing my arm. “You're more likely to attract attention by reacting this way, just act normal.”

I nod my head as a response and his touch soothes me a bit, I concentrate on my heartbeat and feel it calming down slightly. After a few minutes, I finally see the Bar in front of us, less than a hundred feet away. We walk through the door and immediately after it closes behind us I can't help but breathe a sigh of relief. 

There doesn't seem to be any customers today, the bar is probably closed so that no one knows we're there and the others are chatting with Shakky at the counter. She greets us with a smile and invites us to come over and serve us drinks.

“So,” she starts. “Now that your whole group is here you can explain to us why you're back so early, Monkey-chan.”

Luffy is rummaging around in the fridge, probably looking for food as usual, so he's not very inclined to talk right now so Chopper answers instead.

“We've been in a town north of Grand Line," he explains. “There we found a laboratory hidden in the forest...”

Rayleigh and Shakky seem very interested in what our friend has to say. He goes on telling them about everything we found, from the origin of the Infected, the monsters we came across, to all the research he and Law have been studying over the last few days on a possible antidote. 

So he tells them the reason we came back so soon after fleeing the city is because we didn't know what to do and we need to find several specific ingredients so that they can work on making this antidote.

After his story, everyone is tense while we wait for Shakky's answer. 

“Well that's a discovery!” Rayleigh exclaims. “I had already heard about this Caesar Clown but I didn't know he had gone so far.”

“The World Government still withheld vital information from everyone," Chopper sighs to conclude his speech. “If someone had confessed what happened we might have been able to prevent thousands or millions of deaths.”

“They'd never tell anyone anything like that, everyone would consider them guilty," Shakky says. 

“They are," Law growls. “And they're just a bunch of incompetent people...”

“They're still necessary, without the WG it would be total anarchy.”

Law doesn't seem more convinced by what she says, but doesn't contradict her.

“Anyway, we'll see what we can do to get you what you need, just make me a list," the bartender continues, stubing out a cigarette into her ashtray. “In the meantime you can stay here as long as you like, I don't think anyone will find you.”

We thank them warmly and start discussing something else. I am distractedly watching Law write something on a piece of paper that he gives to Rayleigh a few minutes later, before the old man leaves the bar again. I guess that's all they need for them to start testing for the antidote.

“You should get some sleep," Shakky says with a little smile as she sees Usopp giving an enormous yawn. “I've got all five rooms free up there.”

“You're right,” Nami nods. “We'll see what we have to do tomorrow, we've got time. Thanks Shakky-san.”

Immediately, our whole little group goes to the stairs after greeting Shakky and wishing her a good night, with the redhead leading. I notice the little look she gives Robin just before we get to the top and I see her whispering something in her ear but I can't hear her, and then she immediately goes to one of the closed doors with her.

She presses the others to hurry and do the same so that in a few seconds four of the five rooms are already occupied. Nami, at the entrance of hers, gives me a little wink before closing the door and I quickly understand she and Robin have made a hurry on purpose so that I share my room with Law, still behind me in the corridor.

Their behaviour seems very childish to me and I let out a slight sigh but I am too tired to argue with them so I go to the last free room, followed closely by Law. They must have noticed, all of them, that Law is closer to me than he is to the others, but they don't have to do this kind of thing to make me understand it.

I push open the door to discover a queen size bed in the middle of the room, of course, and in spite of myself I feel my cheeks warm slightly, I forgot some rooms doesn't have two beds. The idea of sleeping there with Law makes me a bit nervous, although I did it just a few hours earlier in the bus. But it's not the same, this is about spending a whole night with him, just the two of us in a room. 

I take a quick look at him to see his reaction, but it doesn't seem to bother him as much as me, like everything else, and I feel even more stupid.

I put the backpack I still carried in a corner of the room, Law turns on the bedside lamp and does the same before sitting on the edge of the bed looking up at me. I didn't move, I'm still staring at the bed without knowing what to do.

“I can sleep on the armchair if you prefer," he says with a small smile as he notices my discomfort.

“No, don't worry,” I assure, finally approaching on the other side of the bed while avoiding his gaze.”It's just that...It makes me feel a bit weird.”

He answers with an amused smile and a raised eyebrow before taking off his shoes and sweater, giving me the opportunity to detail his back in a very not discreet way until he slips under the sheets while staying well on the edge of the bed. 

He turns off the lamp and I go to bed too, taking care to keep my distances, enjoying the warmth of the blanket on me and then turn towards him, still not seeing anything until my eyes get used to the darkness. I can see his silhouette standing out of the shadows and stare at his back until little by little the lines of his tattoo are perfectly visible. I don't know if he feels my gaze on him but in any case he doesn't turn around. 

“Good night Sanji-ya,” he says in a low voice.

“Good night Law.”

I close my eyes and, trying to ignore Luffy's voice resonating on the other side of the closed door and concentrating on Law's breathing, I end up falling asleep.

When I open my eyes again, it's still dark and what woke me up are the movements I feel next to me. It takes me a second to understand what it could be and turn to Law, agitated, to see what the problem is. Despite the darkness I notice his eyebrows are furrowed, he is sweating and mumbling something I don't understand but he is still asleep. 

“No...” he moans. “Shachi... Penguin...” 

I straighten up to sit next to him realizing he's having a nightmare. I don't know who he's talking about but it's not very hard to understand it must have been two of his former companions. He turns his back on me again before turning back, still mumbling. 

“Law,” I whisper while gently putting my hand on his arm. “Law, wake up.”

I shake him lightly and keep calling his name until he finally opens his eyes in panic and suddenly stands up. I notice his eyes are shining brighter than normal and even see a tear running down his cheek, but he wipes it away immediately. His gaze then goes around the room and linger on my face, as if he doesn't understand where he is.

“Calm down," I murmure, putting my hand on his shoulder. “You were having a nightmare, it's all right.”

“Sanji-ya...”

Seeing his lost expression I take him in my arms to help him calm down, he's out of breath and I hear his heart pounding like crazy but his breathing gradually returns to normal so I let him go and he falls back on his pillow, sighing and passing his hands over his face.

“I'm sorry I woke you up," he says after a few seconds. “Maybe I should get out of here until I-”

“No, it's nothing,” I reassure him. 

He was about to get up but I don't let him, grabbing his wrist, so he raises his eyes to look at me with a surprised look then lies back down and we stay a few moments without talking. I didn't know he had such bad dreams like that, well until he told me this afternoon. In the time he's been with us he's never woken up like this in the middle of the night or at least I didn't notice it, but it's true his bed is always empty when I get up and he mentioned it earlier.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask him gently while he's still looking at the ceiling silently.

“I don't want to bother you with it, it's no big deal.”

“No big deal? It didn't seem like this to me...”

He sighs but I'm not going to let him off that easy, I don't like to see him like that and I think talking might help a little. I keep staring at him until he's willing to open his mouth.

“I told you I've been having nightmares since what happened to me,” he begins. He looks at me and I nod, encouraging him to continue. “Every time, either I'm back to my old life with my group then they disappear one after the other or I relive what happened the day I lost my friends. I see them all dying one by one in front of me almost every night and I can't do anything to help them, so you can understand that I don't feel like sleeping so much anymore. But when you were near me this afternoon, I don't know... nothing happened. I just...slept.”

I can feel the emotion in his voice, as if he's holding back from crying, so without really thinking about it I lie down again and put my arms around his chest to hold him close. At first he doesn't move and then I feel one of his arms on my back, he pulls me to put my head on his chest and starts drawing slow circles with his hand on my back. 

The contact of his skin against my cheek is unusual but pleasant and I can hear his heart beating against my ear. To be honest I am not against embracing him like this more often if it helps him. 

I would really like to know what happened on that day but it's obviously not going to be today, and this is not the time.

“Go back to sleep,” I whisper. “I'm right here.” 

“I can see that, yes.”

I hear in his voice that he's smiling and I can even feel it resonating in his chest under my head. If I have a chance to help him get better I don't want to miss it, even if it's only so that he can sleep a little more peacefully.

“One day I'll tell you about my companions and what happened," he suddenly says. “I know you must be curious about it and I'm grateful you don't ask any questions in spite of that, but for now...”

“You don't have to force yourself on me,” I cut him off. “Take as much time as you need.”

He puts his lips on my hair and then tightens his grip around me. I snuggle up against him with pleasure and finally close my eyes to go back to sleep.

**~O~**

When I wake up again I see Sanji hasn't moved, he's still in my arms, his own around me. The day seems to be up but I'm not sure because it's still rather dark. I haven't been woken up again by nightmares and I'm seriously starting to think Sanji's presence so close to me is not for nothing, this is the third time I manage to sleep well when he's there. 

I can't feel my arm because it's still under his body but I don't want to risk waking him up so I don't try to remove it. I don't hear anything in particular when I listen carefully and deduce the others are still asleep, so there is no hurry anyway. I can just sit there and watch Sanji sleep for a little while longer. 

He's so peaceful... Unfortunately, just a few minutes later I hear Luffy's voice rising up on the other side of the door. Sanji starts stirring slowly and ends up opening his eyes before raising them to me. His lost look makes me smile, but he doesn't try to move away from me with embarrassment as I expected. 

“How long have you been awake?” he asks as he finally moves away, freeing my arm. 

“A few minutes.”

“Did you sleep well?” He continues, hesitantly. 

I understand what he means by that so I smile at him, nodding to reassure him and he answers with a smile too.

“Get up, guys!” Luffy's voice exclaims from the hallway.

“Are you done shouting this early in the morning?” Zoro complains.

“It's almost 9a.m. Zoro...” Franky answers. “It's not that early.”

Doors are slamming and Sanji and I exchange an amused look before he gets up to join the others. I follow him and come out of the room, curious to know why they're making so much noise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I hope you liked this chapter, as usual !  
> I don't say it every time but thank you to everyone reading/leaving kudos, bookmarks and comments on this fic since I started posting it, it means a lot to me!  
> See you next week! :)


	22. Chapter 22

In the corridor I see Brook going down the stairs after Usopp so we follow them and discover the others in the bar talking with Shakky and Rayleigh. The latter is with Chopper, who is looking with a big smile at the contents of a paper bag. I approach them while Sanji goes to greet Nami and Robin leaning against the counter and the younger one immediately raises his head towards me.

“Law!” he exclaims. “Look! Rayleigh found everything we needed!”

“Already?” I'm surprised when I take the bag he's handing me. 

“We can start trying to make an antidote today with all of this!”

I've never seen him so enthusiastic before, I ruffle his hair with a smile when I see his happy face and take a look at the content of the bag in my hands. I am impressed Rayleigh managed to gather everything I wrote down on the list in such a short time. I was planning to pick up some of the ingredients myself during the day as they are not easy to find and I know just about who to ask for them but obviously I don't have to anymore. I don't know what kind of contacts he has but he sure knows a lot of people.

We continue to discuss everything together until it is time to start working. Rayleigh then leads us to his workshop but instead of going to what looks like a garage he takes us to a part he didn't show us last time and where there are all sorts of equipment so that Chopper and I can work. I wonder what use he has of something like this but I rather don't ask questions. We get all our notes in our bags still in the rooms upstairs at the bar and get to work without waiting. 

Despite all our good will, we know it's not going to be easy, we don't have that much information when you think about it and even with all we have we won't be able to make an effective cure the way we want. All the attempts by the scientists at Punk Hazard have failed, so even if we follow what they've done to the letter we won't come up with anything very conclusive, but we have to start somewhere.

They did get some results by testing their antidote on infected blood as a slowing down of the spread of infection but nothing that would make the infection go away or reverse it permanently. There are a few things about ways to improve the preparation they haven't had time to test and I have a few ideas of my own to move this along but first things first.

We spend the whole day preparing for our first test and shortly before nightfall it's over and I have to admit i'm rather proud of ourselves. So we join the others with the result of our work to inform them.

“Guys!” Chopper exclaims as he enters the bar. “We're done!”

“Now we have to test it,” I continue, following him.

The others stop their conversations to get closer to us.

“This is amazing!” Usopp whistles and gives a pat on our shoulders.

“You guys are suuuuuuper!” Franky shouts out, approaching too.

“How do you plan to test your antidote?” Zoro asks then.

“We need Infected blood,” I answer. 

It takes them a few seconds to figure out what it means. It's not something we can buy, the World Government has banned the trade and nobody has been selling Infected blood for many years, even illegally. 

The only use of this substance is to kill if ingested or injected. Even though a few people tried to make a market for it like any other poison years ago, it quickly stopped when the idiots who were doing it finally realized it was too much effort for not much results to get any more of it.

“You mean we have to go back to the surface and kill Infected to get their blood?” Usopp worries, suddenly a lot less enthusiastic.

“Absolutely.”

His face crumples, which I find a bit amusing since we all know he's not risking much. Zoro, Sanji or Luffy are certainly the ones going there so even if he goes with one of them he's in almost no danger.

“And how do we get it?” Zoro wonders again.

“With this, it's quite easy.” I take a syringe out of my jacket pocket and lift it up in front of their eyes. “I'll go with two people as soon as the sun is up.”

“Don't worry,” Sanji says, coming towards me. He grabs the needle and smiles. “You and Chopper have done enough for today, let us take care of it. You only need one?” He adds a second later, a bit surprised.

“That should be enough for now. We only need a few drops to give it a try.”

“We can always go back for more if we need to," the green one agrees. “There are more than enough Infected up there for your experiments.”

Both head for the exit, followed by Luffy.

“You are going now? Chopper asks. “Wouldn't you rather wait until morning like Law said? It might be safer... “

“The Infected come out more easily at night,” the blond says, turning to us before pushing the door. “We'll be right back!”

“Be careful guys," Nami says before they're out. 

They nod and go through the door, the younger one with a big smile on his face as if they were going for a walk.

**~O~**

Leaving Shakky's bar, we immediately take the direction of the house hiding the passage leading to the surface. There aren't many people in the street and I am a little less stressed than the day before when we arrived because I quickly notice the passers-by don't care about our presence.

We enter the house anyway, checking that nobody is paying attention to us and enter the basement to take the underground path. As I climb up the ladder I have the impression it is endless, the journey seems even longer than the day before and I breathe a sigh of relief when I get to the top. 

Once outside, the cold wind whips my face and I regret not having borrowed a scarf or at least a thicker coat when the snow begins to fall a few minutes later, adding to the thick layer already on the ground and I stumble more than once on tree roots hidden by the powder snow. I love winter and snow but it makes walking in the forest a living hell. I swear in a low voice as I look a little closer where I put my feet, under the mocking laughter of the cactus face and Luffy, who spreads out in the snow a few moments later.

For the first time in my life, I listen hoping to discern the sound of a group of Infected. I don't want to stay in the cold for long, so I pray in the inside to find what we are looking for soon.

“It's fun to look for the Infected rather than avoid them for once," Luffy laughs at the same time.

“Yeah, well, I'd rather avoid them...”

“Luffy and I can take care of it perfectly," I say without even turning to the Marimo. “If you're not happy, you can just leave. Even if I doubt you'll find your way back to the cave...”

“Fuck you, K'so Cook," he grunts behind my back. “If it wasn't Law who needed that blood you'd be sulking too!”

I finally turn to him, not really expecting that kind of comment from him. I'm sure I'm blushing a little but my cheeks are probably already red from the cold so it can't make much difference.

“I don't see what this has to do with Law,” I finally answer in an innocent tone. 

“Yeah, right. You think we haven't noticed your little games lately?” He retorts with a jaded look. “We have ears, you know...”

I take one look at Luffy, and he just nods his head in agreement with the seaweed head. I'm not necessarily trying to be discreet with Law, but for the Marimo to tell me they noticed something makes me feel a bit strange.

“I can hear you two talking, smooching and all outside or in the bus when you think everyone's asleep," he continues. “Though I'm surprised I haven't already heard you fu-”

“All right, all right, I get it!” I exclaim not to hear the rest. 

Embarrassed, I light a cigarette under Luffy's laughter and focus on the surroundings. Normally we shouldn't have too much trouble finding what we're looking for, the Infected are numerous in the area around Grand Line. Well, that's usually like this, but as luck would have it they don't seem to have decided to come out today. 

“Ooooooï Infected! Bring it on!” Luffy shouts after a moment.

I don't even bother to tell him to shut up, we're far enough away from any security post that no one can hear us and we've been going around in circles for over an hour so if he has to yell for the Infected to be attracted, so be it.

A moment later, amidst Luffy's screams, and despite the snow stifling some of the sounds, I can discern something else that, for once, I am happy to hear.

“Luffy, wait,” Zoro says at the same time. “I think they're here.”

The latter draws two of his katanas and Luffy stops shouting, allowing me to hear footsteps in the snow and growls a little further away. A group was definitely drawn in.

“It's about time,” I sigh, rubbing my hands together to warm them up. “I'm frozen...”

“A little exercise will warm us up," Luffy smiles.

The grunts are getting closer but with the snow still falling and at night it's pretty hard to see which way they're coming so the three of us stand back to back to see in all directions.

“This way!” Zoro indicates.

Immediately he lunges in front of him and Luffy and I follow him immediately. I don't know exactly how many monsters there are but there must be less than a dozen, it's not that bad. I run as fast as I can and send a powerful kick into the head of an Infected who didn't even see me coming. He's going to bang against a tree and then hit the ground, splashing his dark blood all over the immaculate snow with a whimper. 

Out of the corner of my eye I can see the Marimo slicing the belly of one beast and Luffy's fist crashing into two others to my right before I notice one more trying to jump on me. I kneel him down when a noise from above caught my attention. I raise my head and discover some Infected perched on the branches above our heads who soon throw themselves at us. 

“Look out above!” I shout.

Both raise their eyes in time to avoid three creatures falling on them and kill them immediately. We get rid of all the beasts as best we can until there are no more Infected left alive and we can finally breathe, happy to have finished our work.

I take the syringe out of my pocket and bend over to the nearest Infected to prick him and do what we came for but I'm not a blood test specialist so I can't get his blood out at first.

“Are you planning on staying there all night, stupid eyebrow?” Zoro gets impatient quickly. “I'd like to get back before sunrise so I can get some sleep...”

I roll my eyes, he's always exaggerating... the night fell not so long ago and at this time of the year the sun won't get up before eight or nine a.m.

“As if you haven't slept enough already.” I turn to him with an annoyed look on my face. “Do it yourself if you think you're so smart!”

He unhooks his arms and comes closer before pushing me, taking the needle from my hands. I give him a black look and go stand next to Luffy, sitting in the snow a few feets away. 

Zoro wasn't much more successful than me so even though he doesn't see me, a mocking smile has taken place on my lips and I don't take my eyes off him.

“What's wrong, Marimo? Need a hand?”

“Shut up, Ero-Cook.”

He continues to work hard and I can see it annoys him not to succeed, I find it more and more funny but the adrenaline of the fight having gone down I start to feel cold again.

“Come on Zoro, hurry up a bit I want to go home...”

He turns around and gives us a black look. “Don't get into it, too!” He grunts.

Luffy and I begin to laugh at the look on his face as he tells us to shut up again when, looking upwards, I notice a silhouette among the branches.

An Infected. I don't know how long he's been there but he doesn't make a sound, none of us three have noticed him and the other two are still bickering and not paying attention. It already jumped from his branch to land on Zoro so without thinking, I rush on him to avoid that this idiot gets hurt.

“Oï, Marimo! Move!” I shouts, pushing him.

“What the-!”

He doesn't understand what's going on until I fall on him to put him out of danger by sending him a few feet further. An instant later I feel a weight on my back that makes me fall to my knees and hear grunts near my ear then a strong pain in my shoulder the next second.

I hear Luffy's worried voice calling my name and then the weight disappears almost immediately, probably ejected by one of my friends. I hold a hand to my shoulder and see red drops falling to the ground, coming out on the bright white of the snow. Raising my head all I see is Zoro, sword in hand, slicing in halfs the Infected who was on top of me a moment earlier.

“Sanji!”

“Oi, Cook, what are you doing?!”

“It's nothing, I'm fine.”

I grunt in pain as I try to get up. Under my fingers I feel a warm liquid soaking into my clothes, the heat of which contrasts with the outside temperature but it isn't a pleasant sensation. It takes me a second to realize it's my blood.

Luffy and Zoro approach me and put one hand on my back but I start to feel tingling coming from my shoulder and my arm going a bit numb. At this moment I understand exactly what just happened, and I know what's ahead of me. I fall back to the ground and Zoro leaves my side.

“Sanji, we're gonna get you back to Chopper and Tra-o, they'll know what to do! Hurry up, Zoro!”

“I'm doing what I can...”

I guess the seaweed is filling the syringe, I can discern the panic in Luffy's voice and in the Marimo's too but I can't even open my mouth to tell them not to worry. All that passes my lips are groans of pain. I close my eyes trying to focus on something other than pain like the snow against my face and don't even try to tell them I'm okay anymore. There's no point in lying and they have good reason to worry.

I finally feel like they lift me up and Zoro picks me up on his back and runs off with Luffy. If the pain in my shoulder wasn't getting worse and worse like it is now I would probably smile and tell him not to get lost. Unfortunately the tingling I was feeling a few moments earlier became a throbbing burn developing in my arm and is preventing me from doing so.

I vaguely feel the atmosphere around me changes after a while. I guess we have reached the cave. I feel as if my head is caught in a vice, I hear my breathing resonating slightly around me and the sound of the footsteps of the Marimo and Luffy have changed. My head is spinning and I feel nauseous, I try to open my eyes but black dots are dancing in my field of vision so I close them again... then it's the blackout.

**~O~**

It must be almost three hours since Sanji, Luffy and Zoro left and it's getting late but nobody has gone to sleep, we are still all in the main room of the bar with Rayleigh and Shakky.

“Do you think something happened to them?” Usopp asks for the third time in an hour. 

“Don't worry about them,” Robin smiles at him. “It may take them a while to find the Infected, that's all.”

“Or maybe Zoro-san got lost again and they went looking for him” Brook continues, making the others laugh.

“It would be more likely indeed.”

I hope nothing happened to them but I also find it strange they take so long to come back. I chase away these bad thoughts quickly, there is little chance they are in danger, between the three of them they can easily face quite large groups of Infected. Like Robin said, they're probably having trouble finding monsters.

While we're waiting for them Chopper and I are discussing what we can do to increase the effects of the antidote we've prepared. At best it slows the effects of the Infection, at worst it's just useless. 

Maybe by increasing the proportion of certain herbs we can do something but the only way to make sure is to test it on infected blood. That's why no matter what happens we have to wait until the three men return to do anything.

It's getting late, and although we're all excited to start testing our antidote some of us are starting to fall asleep on the bar tables and Chopper has even gone completely asleep so Shakky brings us coffees to keep us awake. 

To cheat boredom I start thinking. In spite of myself this whole thing gives me some hope for the future. Thanks to Sanji I'm starting to think life wouldn't be so bad once all these monsters won't threaten us anymore. I even find myself thinking that a quiet everyday life wouldn't be so bad after all. The only condition is that he is with me, because I intend to stay by his side no matter what happens.

I got out of my thoughts a moment later by some unusual noise outside, just in front of the bar. The door opens violently a handful of seconds later and bangs against the wall, startling me and the others. I turn around and find Luffy, out of breath and panicking like I've never seen him before.

“Luffy?” Nami wonders, half asleep. “What's-”

“Chopper, Tra-o! We need you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I'm sorry for doing this to Sanji but it was necessary.  
> I hope you liked this chapter anyway x) see you next time! (bit of angst coming)


	23. Chapter 23

Zoro, also out of breath, arrives just behind Luffy with Sanji on his back. The latter doesn't seem conscious and his jacket is torn and bloody on his shoulder. My heart misses a beat and the stress starts to build up so I get up immediately to see his condition. He is definitely unconscious.

“Take him upstairs,” I order while Nami wakes Chopper up.

They immediately go to the stairs, I follow them and enter the room just as they put him on the bed. 

“What happened?” I ask, taking off Sanji's jacket then tearing his shirt and taking it off him, uncovering his wound.

“We ended up finding a group of Infected after more than an hour of searching,” Zoro explains, whose panicked tone is not like him, especially when it comes to Sanji. “I was taking blood from one of them when suddenly the Cook jumped on me and pushed me and-.”

A weight falls on my stomach when I see the animal bite on his shoulder. I feel nauseous understanding what it means. That can't be possible. Not him.

“No...”

“I didn't understand why he did it,” Zoro goes on but I barely listen to him. “Then I saw one of those monsters fall on him and-”

“How long ago did this happen?”

“I-I don't know, about an hour or so I'd say, we got him back as fast as we could!”

I know he and Sanji aren't necessarily the best friends in the world but they're comrades. It doesn't surprise me it was trying to protect him that he got bitten but I can't believe it... why does it have to happen now? I shouldn't have let them go looking for those damn monsters now or I should have gone with them. Maybe I could have protected him, or I could have gone instead of him.

“Luffy!” Chopper exclaims as he enters the room. “It's true ? Sanji is...”

“Tony-ya, get me some water,” I cut him off.

He stands there for a moment with a deep look before he leaves the room and comes down.

As I put my hand on Sanji's forehead I notice his temperature has already started to rise, although it hasn't been long since he was attacked. To be honest I have no idea what to do, the antidote is not ready and given his condition we are unlikely to be able to develop it in time to save him.

I have to find a way to make this damn cure work, I can't bear to see him die but I can't think straight. I can't think about anything else. Seeing him so vulnerable and at risk of dying all I manage to do is not shake imagining I might lose him.

“Doc, is there anything we can do?” Zoro asks on the doorstep with the others.

“There's not much to do,” I answer, looking at the blond man's face. “He should wake up before tomorrow morning but he'll suffer... we have about two days to find a solution, after that it'll be too late.”

Chopper comes back at the same time with a basin of water and clean cloths he puts next to me. I soak two of them in water, put one on Sanji's forehead for his fever, which will soon rise a lot, and clean his wound with the other.

It looks surprisingly clean, so disinfecting it is useless except to make him suffer even more. He continues to bleed so Chopper puts a bandage on his wound and we stand there like idiots. There's nothing else we can do for now.

The younger one throws the others out for Luffy keeps trying to get in, but he talks too loudly and it does no good to anyone and keeps me from putting my thoughts in order.

Once I am calm I sit on the edge of the bed and try to think, my eyes closed. The only solution is to manage to finalize the antidote, he hasn't been bitten in a place that I can simply cut off as it was the case with Franky's arm. Anyway it's been an hour since he was bitten, the Infection has certainly started to spread in his blood so I can't do anything.

“Law...”

I look up at Sanji when I hear his voice, he opens his eyes with difficulty and grimace with pain as he tries to stand up.

“Stay down Sanji-ya,” I tell him, putting a hand on his chest to prevent him from getting up. 

“Did the Marimo give you the blood we'd been looking for?”

“What the-... You just got bitten, and this is what you're thinking of?” I let out a nervous laught.

“I'm asking you if at least I didn't get bitten for nothing,” he says with difficulty. “If I'm going to die, it might as well be for a good cause...”

“You're not going to die, Sanji-ya!” I exclaim, I don't want to hear him say this. “Now stop talking and save your strength, I'll find a solution.”

He tries to laugh but starts coughing and I hear a quiet sniff, out of the corner of my eye I see Chopper wiping his eyes.

I have a lump in my throat when I see Sanji like this but I don't want to cry because I'm going to find something, I have to. First, I need to buy some time and I have an idea that might help for this.

I create a Room to get the small vial containing the first test of antidote we left there before going back upstairs.

“Tra-o-kun!” Nami calls out when the little bottle appears in my hand. “What are you going to do?”

“I'm going to use it,” I tell her, showing the little amber liquid. “At best it will slow down the effects of the Infection and save us precious time to find a way to cure Sanji-ya, at worst it will be ineffective and we'll have to find a solution faster.”

Her gaze become veiled with sadness and her eyes start to shine. 

“Save Sanji!” Luffy yells when he manages to move past Zoro and Usopp who were retaining him. “Please Tra-o...”

I nod, he doesn't have to tell me twice. I then close the door to be able to focus without their glance on me before I take a syringe from the medical kit in my bag. My hands are shaking a bit as I fill it with the liquid and approach Sanji, who has already gone back to sleep, to inject it into his arm. I hope it's effective enough to at least buy us a day or two so we can save him.

I put the syringe down and watch Sanji. He's already sweating from the fever and I can't imagine the pain he's going to start feeling soon, but at least for now he's sleeping. After a few seconds I walk to the door with a firm step.

“Where are you going?” Chopper asks.

“To find a way to save Sanji-ya. Take care of him.”

I close the door behind me without waiting for his answer and head for the workshop.

**~O~**

When I open my eyes, it takes me a long time to remember where I am and why my body is burning everywhere. I feel hot and cold at the same time and my shoulder feels like it's pulsating so I try to put a hand on it as a reflex but I can't even lift my arm, I'm aching all over my body. The light hurts my eyes, so I close my eyelids and grunt. Even if I just woke up I don't have any strength left but it hurts too much to go back to sleep.

“Sanji, you awake?”

I can hear a voice from far away, as if my head was underwater and I can hardly recognize it's Chopper's voice. I answer it by nodding my head slightly. I don't know if I'm able to talk since I have to bite my lip to avoid groaning in pain.

“How long was I unconscious?” I manage to ask eventually, concentrating on my words. My voice sounds strange.

“About six hours, but you need to rest.”

I think I hear anxiety in his voice, but I'm not sure, I'm not even sure where it comes from. I try to open my eyes again and notice it's just me and Chopper in the room despite my blurry vision.

“Where's, uh... Law?”

“He's in the workshop, looking for ways to heal you... he told me to look after you.”

I'm sketching out a smile, which I'm sure is more like a grimace. Knowing him, he's certainly not going to stop until he finds something... or until I'm gone. In spite of the pain, I realize the idea of leaving Law saddens me perhaps more than the fact of dying, I don't want to abandon him.

“Are you in pain?”

“It's bearable,” I'm lying, I want to scream so much the burning pain in my arm is so strong. 

He doesn't seem very convinced because I see him moving to grab something off the desk. I try to straighten up a little and see what it is and clench my teeth so I don't scream when I feel the burn in my shoulder getting worse. I stop the effort and hope it calms down as I feel my whole body shaking. 

Chopper puts a cold cloth on my forehead and injects something into my arm, but I can hardly feel it, I just raise a questioning look at him.

“It's a sedative," he says. “So that you go back to sleep and it hurt less.”

I'm grateful but I don't have the time or strength to thank him before I fall back into unconsciousness.

When I wake up again, I don't know how much time later, it's because of the pain. It's like a white-hot blade being stuck in my shoulder and its heat slowly spreads. I can't hold back a scream when I turn around to try to soothe the pain.

I manage to grab my shoulder with one hand but it's even worse, this simple touch makes me suffer even more. I try to call for help, I try to call Law to help me, to make the pain go away but I don't even know if I articulate anything.

I vaguely hear the door opening suddenly, someone coming in and gently telling me to calm down but I can't even guess who it is, it hurts too much to pay attention. I would have liked to listen to this person but I can't. I can't. I feel a slight sting in my arm and the burn calms down very slightly before I fall unconscious again.

**~O~**

I curse when I see the drop of antidote I poured on the blood has no effect and Nami enters the workshop just as I throw half of what is on the table on the floor in a concert of broken glass noise, making her jump.

“What happens?” she asks.

“I'm not getting anywhere!” I yell, scratching angrily on an umpteenth line on my list.

I look up at her and meet her sad look. For a little over two days I have been modifying the preparation of the antidote and testing these different combinations on drops of Infected blood but nothing works. 

It's been so long since Sanji was bitten and I haven't made any progress. Luckily, what I injected him with when he arrived seems to be working pretty much because according to Chopper his condition is not getting worse as fast as it should, even though he is in agony. Some people can stay unconscious during all of the process and I wish it could have been the case for him.

We don't have much time left and at this rate, despite all my efforts Sanji is going to die and there's nothing I could have done. This is the second time in my life I feel so helpless. Just thinking about what's going to happen to him makes me want to break the desk in front of me with everything on it screaming but I have to calm down and carry on my researches.

“Maybe you should get some rest," the redhead says, putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “It'll do you good and-”

“No,” I interrupt her, a little more abruptly than I intended. “How can I rest when Sanji-ya's like this?!”

I shouldn't yell at her, she's at least as affected as I am and hasn't done anything wrong but I can't help it. She doesn't answer and still stays next to me, as if she still has something to say.

“He's asking about you, you know.”

Her words feel like I'm stabbed in the stomach, I raise my head towards her.

“He's in pain when he wakes up so Chopper immediately injects him with a sedative, but he calls out to you every time," she says, seemingly on the verge of tears. “You should go and see him...”

“I can't do that.”

“Why not?

“Because it's my fault he's in this state.”

I clench my fists and lower my gaze, closing my eyes to hold back the tears I feel coming up. My nerves are on edge but this is no time to be weak, if I break down now I don't know if I'll be able to stop.

“What the hell are you talking about? It's not your fault!”

“If I hadn't told them to go get the damn Infected blood he wouldn't have been bitten!” I exclaim. “If at least I'd been with them... it would've been different. I could have protected him...”

“You can't know that and it's no use putting this on you,” she says with a gentle tone, putting her hand on my shoulder. “Sanji-kun wanted to go there to help you develop this antidote, it's nobody's fault but those monsters'.”

I don't answer her, she sighs and remove her hand before heading out of the workshop.

“Nobody will blame you if you don't manage to realize it in time... but at least go and see him before it's too late, otherwise I know you'll regret it. He needs you.”

With those words she leaves the room and leaves me alone again. They may not resent me, but I will.

I take my head in my hands, close my eyes and try to think. I don't dare to appear in front of Sanji, I don't want to see my failure when I see him suffering because I'm unable to save him but on the other hand, I don't want to miss my chance to see him one last time... he doesn't have much time left. After calming down a bit I get up and head for the bar to see how he is. 

I enter by the back door because Shakky has closed the bar since Luffy, Zoro and Sanji came back. It would be awkward if someone could hear his cries of pain from upstairs, we don't need the guards to come and investigate around here. 

As I push the door open I am struck by the desperate atmosphere in the room but am at least relieved to hear Sanji is sleeping, there is no noise in the building. Everyone is there, except Chopper who must still be watching the blond. 

They all have a sad look on their faces. I even notice Usopp's eyes are red and his cheeks are wet. I tend to selfishly forget that if I care about Sanji, they've been his companions for over two years, and I know too well what it feels like to lose one of your comrades.

They raise their eyes when I enter and I meet Nami's glance, who gives me a little encouraging smile as I passe by them without a word to go straight upstairs. I knock on the door and open it gently then meet Chopper's gaze, who raises his head. I enter the room and close the door behind me without a sound before standing in front of the bed to watch Sanji.

He looks almost peaceful, even if his eyebrows are slightly furrowed. I know the only reason he can sleep is because of the painkillers that are injected into him as soon as he wakes up, but he still looks like he's in pain. 

His skin is pale, he is sweating from the fever and sticking out of the bandage on his shoulder I see dark veins on his skin, caused by the Infection that is spreading and killing him or turning him into an Infected slowly. 

It kills me to see him like this, he who is usually cheerful, a big smile on his lips or arguing with Zoro, he is in perpetual suffering and slowly dying.

“How's he doing?” I ask without taking my eyes off him, although I already know the answer.

“He's suffering," Chopper answers in a monotonous tone. “The sedatives' effects are less and less long but I took some blood from him earlier and the Infection is progressing quite slowly thanks to the injections. If he resists, he should have a day before it's too late, maybe a little longer.

I nod my head as an answer.

“Any word on the antidote?” He's hopeful, and I hate to only have bad news to bring.

“No,” I confess, ashamed when I finally turn to him. “I might well change the proportions of each component, add new ones, replace some, nothing helps. The infected cells sometimes struggle to grow but don't disappear.

“I see...”

His gaze goes back to the blond man still asleep, then he gets up from the chair he was sitting on and walks toward the door. 

“I need to get some air," he says. “I'll leave you alone for a while.”

I nod and he silently closes the door behind him. I sit on the bed next to Sanji and take his hand, his skin is warm against mine, too warm. 

“I'm sorry Sanji-ya," I say in a low voice, although he probably can't hear me. “I haven't been able to make an antidote to cure you yet...”

“Law?”

I look up at his face, not expecting him to be awake. He opens his eyes slowly and looks at me before smiling, even though I can see he's suffering.

“You came," he says weakly.

“Of course, I had to.”

I give him back his smile sadly but don't add anything, I don't know what else to tell him.

“How much time do I have left?” he asks a moment later.

His question breaks my heart. He's not an idiot, he knows well we can't delay things indefinitely but I don't want to tell him he's doomed. He doesn't deserve this. None of them deserve this.

“Hey,” he breaths with a weak squeeze of my hand. “You can tell me.”

“A day, maybe more,” I reluctantly let go.

I lower my eyes, unable to face his gaze, but raise them again when he starts moaning in pain.

“It's not your fault, Law,” he lets out between clenched teeth after a while.

“You wouldn't be in this state if I hadn't asked you to go hunting for the Infected.”

"I forbid you to feel guilty about this.”

He tries to straighten himself up a little, wincing, but seeing he is having trouble I help him and he looks at me sternly. He takes a deep breath before continuing.

“I know you feel bad about it... but again you had nothing to do with it," he says. “So stop it. Even if I die... no one here will hold you responsible.”

I give him a little smile, he always seems to know what I'm thinking, and again he hits the nail on the head. He slowly raises his hand to my face and puts it on my cheek but just this simple gesture seems to require a huge effort from him, his features are tense.

“I don't regret it," he says. “If I hadn't been bitten... it would have been the Marimo and the situation wouldn't be... much different. If I had to do it all over again I would do the same thing. Hey, don't look at me like that," he adds. “I knew this would happen one day...”

I hold his gaze but my throat tighten when I see his smile. I know he is making an effort not to show he's in pain to reassure me a little but I can't see it. I don't want to accept the fact that by tomorrow he might not be here anymore.

“Sanji-ya... I'm so sorry.”

I narrow the distance between us and desperately kiss him. My eyes are burning and thinking this may be the last time I feel his lips against mine I can't hold back bitter tears from flowing. I don't want to lose him too. I just can't.

I caress his feverish skin with my fingertips, imprinting in my memory every curve of his face without taking my mouth off his, but I end up moving away to observe his face for a few moments. 

His cheeks have regained some colour, perhaps thanks to this kiss, but he is still in great pain. In spite of that I take him in my arms and he responds to my embrace without complaining but I hear his erratic breathing next to my ear, he is at his limit.

“I will save you,” I declare trying to control the tremors in my voice. “I promise you that.”

I don't know which one of us I'm trying to convince the most, but I can't get used to the idea I might lose him despite all my efforts, so subconsciously I hold him tighter in my arms. 

I'm not ready for that, I'm not ready to let him go when he means so much to me. I only have a few hours left to find a solution and I plan to use every last second to make a cure that works. He needs to see this world free from the threat of the Infected and he's the reason I want to see it too so I'm not going to let him die.

“I trust you," he smiles. 

I let him go and see his eyes shine and then I kiss his forehead before helping him to lie down. He must be having a hard time not screaming in pain so I get up and quickly grab the bottle of sedatives and a syringe to relieve him. 

I inject him with the product, he doesn't take his eyes off me and tries to smile but the effects of the last injection must have worn off for good because his jaw is tighten, he clenches his teeth. After a few seconds he closes his eyes and his face relaxes a little. I put one hand on his cheek and promise myself one last time to save him before leaving the room to go back to the workshop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm cruel to Law and Sanji but I have to put them through a hard time to appreciate the good moments :x  
> Hope you liked this chapter anyway, see ya!


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Soooo... will Sanji die or will Law and Chopper will succeed ?  
> Enjoy~

When I get downstairs I immediately rush to the door leading outside and pass Chopper coming back inside, wiping his red eyes with his sleeve.

“Law, you're leaving again already?”

“Yes, I'd like to stay with him longer but we don't have much time left to make this antidote, I don't want to waste a minute.”

He looks down sadly so I put a hand on his head and ruffle his hair with a smile that I wanted to be reassuring 

“Hey, we're gonna save him, Tony-ya,” I say. “You'll see!”

“Yeah... you're right, then I'll help you! Like you said, we don't have much time left and we'll go faster together.”

He gives me a big smile of hope and passes me to go into the bar practically running.

“I'll tell Nami to keep an eye on Sanji and I'll join you!”

I watch him disappear around the corner before I go out.

Back in the workshop, I see the mess I made when I left it and sigh before I start picking up the pieces of broken glass littering the floor and the desk. Chopper comes in at this moment, his gaze goes around the room with surprize but he doesn't make any comment, he must have guessed I had a little moment of anger but bends over and helps me to clean up the mess.

“You don't have to clean up,” I tell him. “I did that, so...”

“We can start faster if I help you, don't worry!” He's smiling.

I give him back his smile and finish cleaning up before we get back to work. Even though I'm more determined than ever, I don't have many new ideas for perfecting the antidote, I've ran out of hypotheses but we're still studying our notes. Even though I've been through them several times in the last 48 hours and I know them practically by heart from rereading them over and over again, I can't risk missing any new information. 

Maybe two or three hours later we get a visit from Robin who offers us something to eat and drink to encourage us but to be honest I don't feel like swallowing anything, my stomach is tightened since I saw Sanji. I thank her but I leave the sandwich she brought aside, I don't like bread anyway.

After a while I don't even know what time it is, all I know is that every passing minute brings the person I now care about the most in the world closer to death, and that's the only thing that matters. Chopper tries to put on a good face, but deep down he must be as desperate as I am. The less we get and the more my patience is running out. 

After yet another unsuccessful attempt I clench my fists and hit them on the table with frustration, then I feel a sting on my hand. I flinch, raise it in front of my eyes and watch a small piece of glass fall back on the table. I bring the cut to my mouth as a reflex then feeling the taste of blood on my tongue and watching the few drops on the table in front of me I begin to think. Maybe I have a new idea.

“Everything's all right, Law?” Chopper asks as he approaches after several seconds.

“Tony-ya,” I start, ignoring his question. “You ran some tests on my blood shortly after I joined you.”

It's not really a question, but he nods with an interrogatory look, probably not seeing where I'm going with this. My mind starts working at full speed. In doing these tests he found nothing interesting, which seemed strange at the time. 

We had expected to find something different, but there was nothing that could explain why I was not Infected. Nothing in my blood is different from that of a 'normal' person, which left us all a bit confused. But with these new experiences we are now doing I am beginning to think maybe the problem is that my blood was not tested under good conditions after all.

“What if you hadn't tested it properly?” I ask him.

“What do you mean?”

Then I explain my thinking to him. I don't know why the idea didn't come to me before but it's possible something in my blood reacts only in the presence of Infected's poison, which is why I never noticed anything and had no idea I was immune before I get bitten. 

It's not as if the idea of being attacked on purpose to find out if I was going to be infected or not had ever crossed my mind. I have no idea how it works, but I can't rule out any hypotheses, especially now when I'm running out of ideas and time. As I explain this to him I get up and go in search of a syringe.

As soon as I get my hands on one I roll up my sleeve and take some blood to test my idea immediately. This is our last chance, if it doesn't work I have no idea what more we can do and I'll probably lose hope for good. 

In front of Chopper's eyes I take what little Infected blood we have left, put a drop of it on a transparent slide and add a drop of my blood before putting the mixture under the microscope to see if there is a reaction. 

I can feel the stress of Chopper leaning on my shoulder next to me in addition to mine as I stick my eye to the lens. At first nothing abnormal happens, Infected's blood cells try to mix with mine and begin to invade and contaminate them, but my blood starts to react by repelling this contamination. 

After a few minutes nothing has moved, Infected's blood fails to take advantage and where normal blood should have been completely corrupted mine is still completely healthy. 

An adrenaline rush goes up in my chest but I'm trying to curb my joy, it's a good start but so far it's not really helping and I don't want to get my hopes up for nothing. I let Chopper watch for a few moments and then he raises his head towards me with a huge smile.

“Law... it's...”

“For now it just proves that my blood is resistant to the Infection,” I say before he continues. “There's no telling how this can help Sanji-ya.”

“But if we mix it with the antidote we have, I'm sure we can do something!”

I'm taking a look at the golden liquid contained in one of the few test tubes I didn't send flying. From what we've observed, mixed with Infected blood it destroys some of the contaminated cells but its effect diminishes rapidly. It always ends up being contaminated too and therefore only serves to slow down the effects of a bite, which has still kept Sanji going until now. But if you combine my infection-repelling blood with this cure...

I don't really know how much of each I need to mix to create something effective, but we have to try. We are more than limited by time, looking at the clock on the wall behind me I can see we have been working for almost a dozen hours already. 

My stomach tightens again as I realize Sanji is in danger of succumbing at any moment and prays inside that he will hold out until we find the right mix. 

We immediately start making some more antidote to conduct further experiments with my blood. At the beginning I only put a few drops for a first try but by mixing it with the Infected's and although the remedy resists a little it ends up being submerged so I continue to increase the dose. I end up putting too much and what is supposed to destroy the Infected cells ends up not being effective enough so I start to reduce it little by little again.

After a while we only have a few drops of the Infected blood left and not enough ingredients to make the antidote again.

“It's our last chance,” I sigh, holding the pipette of this liquid above the greenish blood contained in a vial. 

“If it doesn't work, we won't have any more chances to try a new mixture or we won't have enough for Sanji and we don't have time to find the ingredients again,” he answers, nodding.

With a weight in my stomach I pour a few drops of the antidote on the blood and gently shake the mixture. After a few moments I put some of this new liquid on a slide to observe it. I have to watch the reaction for several minutes but seeing the result seems satisfactory and the infected blood is destroyed little by little I raise my eyes towards Chopper, who looks at me with hope. 

“So? he asks, hope and stress in his voice. “Is it working?”

“I think so...”

He observes in turn before raising his head towards me and a huge smile takes place on his lips. 

We did it. I find it a bit hard to believe but we really did it. I quickly come to my senses and grab the vial with the finished antidote and a syringe that I stick in my pocket. 

I don't have a second to lose, I have to join the others. I have to save Sanji. I was about to run out when Nami rushed into the workshop, her eyes red and her cheeks soaked with tears. 

“Nami...” Chopper starts, whose eyes change completely when he sees her. “What's going on?”

“I'm sorry, Chopper... Tra-o...”

“Sorry ?” I repeat. “Sorry for what ? Nami-ya!”

She wipes her eyes with her sleeve then she bursts into tears. I walk up to her, not understanding why she's apologizing, or rather I don't want to understand. She clings to my shirt with force, so I clumsily put an arm behind her back and she raises her tear-fogged eyes towards me.

“I was next to him when he woke up... He was-... he was screaming in pain. I injected him with the sedative to make him go back to sleep but it didn't work, then... then all of a sudden he just stopped moving and-... and he's not breathing... Zoro and Luffy say his heart's still beating but he doesn't have long left and...”

“No...”

I don't listen to the end of what she has to say, I storm out of the workshop and run the few hundred feet to the Rip-off Bar as fast as I can, leaving them both there. I burst in violently pushing the door into the main room, which is empty. I don't waste a second before going upstairs, where everyone is waiting with a serious look on their faces. 

Panicking and fingers tightly around the vial, probably risking to break it under pressure, I pass them and push the door. There's no way Sanji will die, not now that I've managed to prepare an antidote that works, I can't lose him when I've succeeded. The universe can't be that cruel.

While entering the room I see Robin at his side trying to give him a cardiac massage, tears in her eyes, but when she sees me arriving she moves away from him to leave me the place.

At once I catch the syringe in my pocket while trying to control the shakings of my hands to fill it with the antidote then Sanji's arm to do the injection. I drop it on the ground immediately and bend over him to put my ear on his chest. 

I can hear his heart beating faintly. As long as he's alive there's hope but as Nami said he's not breathing so I stand up and start pressing on his chest to make him come back. I hear the others, they're pressed together in the doorway without daring to enter but don't pay more attention to their presence. I have too much to do with what I have in front of me.

“Sanji-ya, please breathe, I'm begging you. Please, you can't leave me.”

He has no reaction but I keep going, feeling the tears starting to burn my eyes. I can't have failed... not this close. The antidote works, he can't leave me now. 

“Come on Sanji-ya, come back!”

“Law...”

Chopper came into the room without me noticing and stands beside me. I don't need to see his face to know he's crying too, I can hear it in his crackling voice and his little sniffles. He puts his hand on my back, gently clinging to my shirt, but I keep putting pressure on Sanji's chest to make him breathe again.

“It's too late Law,” he sobs next to me.

“No! I can save him! I have to save him!”

I start screaming without realizing it, my eyesight is blurred by the tears and I see them falling on my hands and Sanji's chest but I don't stop. I can't stop. I keep asking him to wake up, praying for a higher power that I never believed in to make him open his eyes again. 

After several minutes I feel someone gently pulling me back and I push him away with a gesture of my shoulder but they grab my arm more firmly.

“That's enough Doc',” Zoro says. “You did everything you could...”

I look up at him and I'm about to tell him to let go when I meet his eyes. Seeing even Zoro with that face, on the verge of crying, I end up turning to the others. They have finally come in and are standing around the bed, all with the same look on their faces, before turning my attention to Sanji. He looks like he's sleeping peacefully, but even if I listen carefully, I can't hear the faint beating of his heart.

Suddenly I fall to my knees beside the bed, feeling empty. I can't tell myself it's over, I can't tell myself that within a few minutes I could have saved him. It hurts too much.

All my guilt is falling on me all at once and my tears are streaming down my cheeks without stopping. Beyond the sadness I am furious at myself, at these monsters and at the damn scientist because of whom the Infected appeared. I clench my fists and hit on the mattress, cracking the wooden frame that holds it together. 

“All this happened because of me," Zoro says, breaking the near silence that reigned. “If he hadn't tried to save me-”

“He trusted me,” I let go, clutching the sheets in my hands. “I promised him I'd cure him and I lied to him.”

“Stop,” Chopper orders then. “It's not your fault... neither of you.”

I don't even have the strength to answer. I look up at Sanji and gently grab his shoulders to bring him close to me. I feel a sharp pain in my heart as I feel no resistance when I hold him in my arms and feel like crying even more. 

When I hold him like this he usually passes his arms behind my back and buries his face in my neck, where I feel his warm breath against my skin. Sometimes he even laughs when I start kissing his neck. I have hope I'll feel these things, that he'll hold me close and tell me it's all right, but it's a lifeless embrace. I close my eyes and stay like this for long seconds, letting my tears flow silently.

“I'm sorry Sanji-ya,” I whisper. “I'm so sorry.” I kiss his forehead as I repeat those words. I don't know how I'll live and even face his comrades' eyes without him. I hear them crying but not one of them dares to say a word or move.

I don't know how long I hold him close to my chest, but suddenly I think I feel a pressure on my arm. Telling myself I'm certainly dreaming I don't pay too much attention to it but suddenly while concentrating I hear Sanji's heart beating again. 

He can't turn into an Infected so quickly but, hardly daring to believe it, I take off from him and observe his face for any sign of life. I notice from the corner of my eye Mugiwara and Zoro raised their heads but the others, not having a hearing as fine as ours, didn't hear anything. 

Nothing happens for a few seconds and I feel the pain twisting in my stomach again when Sanji's body is suddenly caught in a kind of slight spasm, attracting everyone's attention. 

I take his hand in mine, which he squeezes almost imperceptibly. My heart misses a beat, I thought I was delirious but he starts coughing gently and his grip on my hand becomes a little stronger.

My throat tightens again but I can't help but smile as I watch his eyebrows frown and his eyes open with difficulty. He tries to bring a hand to his face, probably bothered by the light, but I immediately squeeze him tightly against me. 

Probably a little lost, he still gives me back my embrace and I can hear his difficult breathing close to my ear and his heart gradually returning to a normal rhythm in his chest. 

“Sanji-ya...”

“Law...” he breaths. “You're... choking me...”

His voice is only a whisper, but I am so happy and relieved to hear it that instead of releasing him, I embrace him even tighter, before finally releasing him and moving away slightly.

The others move closer to the bed and start laughing when they see their friend is alive. Mugiwara even utters a cry of joy before jumping on the mattress to take him in his arms, soon imitated by the others and the bed creaks under everyone's weight. 

Sanji makes a grimace of pain from his shoulder and looks a little lost for a few moments, not seeming to understand why everyone is in tears and so happy, but I can see even his own eyes start to shine when a shaken Chopper with sobs passes his arms around him with relief.

This scene makes me happier than ever, I'm relieved he's okay and I can't take my eyes off his face. For a few minutes I thought he was dead and probably wouldn't have been able to bear it, so when his tender gaze falls on me once all his friends have finally released him it's as if I'm drawn to him by some invisible force. 

I put my hand on his cheek, struggling to realize we've made it, and I draw him to me in a kiss. My mouth presses against his, I take his face between my hands to make sure he doesn't move away and after a moment of hesitation he responds to my kiss. 

New tears run down my cheeks, with joy this time, my joy of knowing he's alive, the relief, the fear I felt, all this hits me like a wave. I relish the fact that I can feel his lips against mine again knowing it won't be the last time. 

I vaguely hear small exclamations of surprise but ignore them, I'm too happy to be able to kiss Sanji again to pay attention to it. 

When I finally get away from him he's staring at me and a little smile floats on his lips.

“I was right to trust you," he says, putting his fingers on my cheek. 

“You almost died, you idiot...”

His smile widens a little.

“I knew you'd find a solution.”

“I couldn't have done it without Tony-ya's help.”

I take him in my arms again and notice Nami's tender gaze on us. I move away from him and a few minutes later, once everyone's emotions have subsided a little Chopper approaches, suddenly returning to his role as the group's doctor.

“You're still weak but I have to take your blood to make sure you're all right," he tells Sanji. “Then I have to change your bandage and you can rest.”

He nods and the youngest one leaves the room, ordering everyone to get some air around his patient and to go out as well before coming back a few seconds later with a syringe. He takes a tube of his blood while I remove the bandage from his shoulder. 

Underneath, I discover the dark veins that were visible before are already starting to disappear but the bite, as it was the case with mine, has barely begun to heal. This wound will take several days to heal and will leave a mark, a witness of what happened to Sanji and our success.

Once the bandage has been changed and his blood taken, he is already half asleep, probably exhausted from having suffered continuously for so long and having fought against the Infection so Chopper leaves the room and I am about to do the same but Sanji is holding me by the bottom of my shirt.

“What's wrong?” I ask as I sit on the edge of the bed.

“Would you mind... staying with me?” he hesitates.

“Of course not.”

I smile at him and he tries to move over a little so I can get more comfortable next to him. I sit with my back against the wooden headboard and he lies down with his head on my legs, growling slightly in pain as I move his injured shoulder. I begin to run my fingers distractedly through his hair and hear his breathing become slower and more regular in just a few minutes. 

Seeing him like this, alive and well and listening to his beating heart I feel all the stress of the last three days leaving me and being replaced by the accumulated fatigue. I close my eyes and fall asleep without noticing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sanji's fine ! ;p I hope you liked it and I did my job right with this chapter ahah  
> See you next time! it'll be a bit more calm and fluffy after the stress of the last chapters x)


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! After a stressful couple chapters, let's go back to something a bit more calm and fluffy x)  
> Enjoy~

I'm relieved not to be woken up by a strong pain again. When I open my eyes I am lying down and Law is there, I feel the weight of his hand on my head, which is still resting on his laps. I can't help but smile. For a moment I thought I dreamt what happened just before I fell asleep. I vaguely remember Chopper telling me three days have passed since I was bitten but I didn't realize it, I spent all that time knocked out with painkillers or dying so it's still pretty fuzzy in my mind. 

I have aches and pains all over my body, I realize it when I try to move and my shoulder still hurts like hell so I sigh and don't try to move anymore. The pain is less compared to what I've been feeling these last few days but it's still very unpleasant. 

I knew the Infection was painful, everyone knows it, but I never imagined it would be so awful. I will probably never be able to forget the torture it has been. It was as if there was a raging fire burning constantly from the place where I was bitten and that radiated through all my limbs. I close my eyes, trying not to think about it any more rather remembering it was over now, thanks to Chopper and Law.

I look up at him. Knowing him, I'm sure he spent all the time I was sick finding a solution without bothering to rest for a second, which would explain why he's still sleeping. 

I am still here because of him, and I am impressed he and Chopper have really managed to make an antidote that is efficient. I don't know how they did it, but the fact they succeded changes everything, for everyone.

After a few minutes, I try to get up and stand up again but it's more complicated than I thought it would be. My whole body hurts and not wanting to wake Law, who deserves a little more rest, I do my best not to make any sudden move. 

I spare my shoulder by leaning on my other arm and manage, after long seconds of struggle, to get out of the sheets and sit on the edge of the bed. My lungs are screaming at me like I just sprinted a mile, my head is spinning and black dots are starting to appear in my field of vision so I don't immediately try to get up and turn to Law instead. 

I never had the opportunity to watch him sleep except when he had just arrived but it's not the same, I don't look at him the same way I did then. I used to have to watch him to make sure he wasn't a psychopath who got bitten and now my feelings about him have... changed.

He's one of my precious comrades now and more than that. It feels like an eternity has passed since I found him in that old shack in the middle of nowhere, even though it only been a few weeks. 

I smile and after a few minutes I slowly get up to go to the bathroom next to the bedroom after grabbing some clean clothes from my bag. I stand on the edge of the bed, my head starts spinning again and I even feel a little nauseous when I remember it's been about three days since I ate anything. It's no wonder I'm so weak, not counting the fact I was practically dead a few hours ago. 

As I walk into the room I can see my face in the mirror and it is frankly not a pretty sight. My hair doesn't look like anything anymore, my face is much paler than usual and it's clearly visible I'm not at my best. With a sigh I then begin to inspect my bandage and slowly remove it to discover my wound for the first time. It has already started to close, but I can see precisely the red shape of the Infected's jaw which has bitten me. It reminds me of the one on Law's side, which has since completely healed. 

By reflex I touch the edges of the wound with my fingertips, which is enough to awaken the pain so I quickly stop and turn away from the mirror to take a shower.

I spend long minutes under the warm, pleasant water on my aching body before going out and starting to get dressed. I then hear Law's voice on the other side of the door.

“Sanji-ya?” He calls. Before I can answer him he starts opening the bathroom door.

“Law, wait! I, uh-” I put my pants on fast before he comes in and meets his relieved look, which I swear I saw lingering below my face for a few seconds.

“Sorry,” he finally says. “When I didn't see you I got a little worried.”

I start laughing, I could never have imagined when I first saw him he could be so easily worried about others. 

“What's so funny?”

“It's nothing.”

I keep a smile on my face as he takes a quick glance at my shoulder before finally approaching me to look at my wound in detail and orders me not to move. He turns around and when he comes back a few seconds later with a bandage and compresses, I understand he intends to take care of my injury.

I lean against the sink and he starts to touch around the bite then applies a compress on it. I clench my teeth feeling a burn on my skin, but try to look good by not saying anything, pulling a little sorry smile from Law who quickly finishes his treatment and puts on the bandage. I can finally put on a shirt and walk out of the room, my stomach suddenly screaming with hunger.

Along the way from the room to the downstairs his hand is resting on my lower back, as if he is afraid I would fall at any moment but rather than tell him I'm fine I just enjoy the warmth that comes from this contact. I like the feeling of knowing someone other than my friends cares enough about me to worry as he does, it sends chills down my spine and put a smile on my face.

When I get downstairs, I see everyone sitting around a large table but they quickly raise their heads when they hear a noise. Less than a second later, a tornado hits me.

“Saaaanjii! You're all right!” Luffy exclaims, hugging me a little harder than he needs to, but I let him, he's too happy for me to hold a grudge. 

The others get up immediately and approach us and I even get a warm hug from Nami and Robin. 

“Oi stupid eyebrow,” Zoro calls. 

I think he is going to throw a sharp reply but his glance is different from the one I know him, it's rare that he looks at me in this way.

“I'm glad you're alive," he says, looking away as if he was ashamed to admit it. “And... thank you, for... well you know what I mean...”

“Don't worry Marimo,” I smile. “You're welcome. It's normal between Nakamas.”

I give him a pat on the shoulder before Chopper and Usopp approach again. “So you and Law, huh...?” the latter starts with a little smile. “How long's it been going on?”

I freeze, I'm not sure what to say. I look at the person concerned looking for a little help but he steps back and just smiles at me with a shrug. The traitor. 

When I woke up I had vague memories of Law kissing me the day before but I was tired and still knocked out by medication at that time so I thought maybe I had been dreaming. Apparently I wasn't...

“I just-” I sigh. “I didn't mean to hide it from you...”

“Ah ah, I'm kidding, no stress man!” He laughs. “I don't blame you for anything.”

“I think you're both cute," comes Robin behind him.

They start smiling. I don't really know how to react so I cross my arms and feel I'm blushing while looking again in Law's direction. He pretends to look the other way but he certainly heard.

Once Luffy has definitely let go of me I sit down with everyone at the table and am greeted by a smiling Shakky who serves me coffee and pastries.

“I'm glad to see you healthy again," she says. “Monkey-chan and the others have been down in the dumps the last few days, it's good to see them smiling again.”

“Sanji! You're awake!” Rayleigh's voice exclaimes before I had time to answer Shakky.

I smile at her and turn to the newcomer. He gives me a little pat on the back then gives me a hug. “It's good to see you back on your feet," he continues. 

“Thank you Rayleigh-san, Shakky-san. It's good to be back too, mostly thanks to Law and Chopper.”

They both smile at me before they sit down at the table. During our breakfast we decide to stay a few more days at the bar so that I can rest and heal properly before going back to the surface. 

So I'm forced not to make any effort for the rest of the day despite the fact I'm repeating that I'm fine. I may not be in the best of shape, but I can't stand having to stay in bed for so long. I feel like a burden and I hate it.

To persuade me, and especially to prevent me from complaining Law decided to stay with me, under the heavy insistence of Nami and Robin, who think it would help... and it works, even if I don't like to admit it. It doesn't bother me that much to stay here if he's with me, but I still grumble a bit for the form.

After I spent the day going around in circles in the bar and we had dinner all together with Rayleigh and Shakky we are in our room, in a comfortable silence. 

Law wants me to rest but I don't feel like it, I think I've slept more than enough these last few days and I'm not sleepy at all. So I'm lying half on top of him, who quickly got used to playing with my hair when we are like this. 

In the dim light of the bedside lamps I look at the few lines of his tattoo sticking out of the collar of his shirt and trace them distractedly. Meanwhile, the others are out for a descreet stroll around town again or are busy downstairs or in Rayleigh's workshop. 

I feel like making conversation to fill the silence a little and suddenly a question I have been asking myself since the morning takes place in my mind. I am saved but I have no idea how it happened and how Chopper and Law managed to come up with an effective remedy, nobody thought I would be interested to know.

“Tell me, Law, how did you manage to make the antidote work?” I wonder, raising my head to him. “It's amazing, do you realise how many lives are gonna be saved by this?”

He doesn't seem to share my joy, oddly enough. He seems hesitant and looks at his hand for a moment before giving me an answer. “I mixed my blood with the antidote we had,” he finally says. “It was our last hope, and since I'm immune, Tony-ya and I thought it might be the solution...”

So it was his blood that healed me. In a way it makes sense I guess, but the idea I survived an Infected bite just because he's here makes me smile. What were the chances to run into someone who was immune, that he was a doctor and that we'd vaguely find the recipe for an antidote in an old abandoned lab? It all seems incredible to me. 

I was about to tell him to cheer up a bit when suddenly something hits me. It's fantastic they've managed to do this but if Law's blood is needed to make the cure it can't be produced in large quantities. 

Then my smile disappears as I think of what it involves. If we inform the World Government we found an antidote to the Infection, scientists will want to mass-produce it to cure as many people as possible and why not make the monsters disappear completely from the face of the earth for good. The problem is, to do that a large amount of Law's blood would be needed, or at least someone immune like him. He would then end up in a lab again and I don't want it to happen again, even if the population never learns a cure exists.

“If we need your blood-”

“Don't think about it," he interrupts, tightening his embrace around me. “The most important thing is that you're here, not this antidote. You can't imagine how scared I was that I couldn't save you...”

“But Law...”

He pulls me to him before I can start protesting and kisses me gently. He releases my lips just a few seconds later, smiling.

“I realized it when I thought I lost you, I couldn't bear it," he says before kissing me again. “I love you Sanji-ya.”

I don't know if he's telling me this partly so I stop arguing but I stand still for a moment, until I'm sure I understand what he's saying when I feel something rising in my chest. I never realized how much I've wanted to hear those words or how happy they make me. A great shiver of pleasure runs down my spine and a smile blossoms on my face.

I've never been serious with anyone, I've never really had the opportunity to meet anyone because of our regular trips to the surface and the idea of having this kind of relationship with one of my Nakamas just feels wrong to me. 

It's different with Law. I've been attracted to him since I met him, I want to be close to him, I want to take care of him and I realize how necessary his presence has become to me. He's already done so much for me and the rest of our group... he's already saved my life twice and I feel like an idiot to only realize now that I've fallen in love with him. 

I step away for a moment and meet his tender gaze before naturally putting my lips back to his.

“I love you too,” I murmur between two kisses. 

Galvanized by his words and his kisses, I begin without realizing it to become more and more eager and I feel him smiling against my mouth. I put my questions aside in a corner of my mind for later and focus on him. I want to touch him and kiss him as much as I can so without letting go of his lips, I pass over him and settle on his laps while my hands get lost in his hair and then on his chest.

My shoulder hurts a little when I move but in this situation it's the least of my worries, I easily manage to ignore the pain thanks to Law's kisses and caresses. I don't want to spoil this moment. I can feel his fingers touching my neck and caressing my back while hugging me and that's all that matters.

Instinctively I begin to pull his shirt up over his belly so that I can touch his skin. I savour the softness and warmth under my fingers and continue to pull it up little by little until I feel irregularities as I pass over his side. I caress his scar a little longer and run his t-shirt over his head to remove it before he starts undoing the buttons of my shirt to slide it over my shoulders.

**~O~**

Caught in the moment, I take off Sanji's shirt quickly but I feel him flinch against me and guess the little moaning that escapes his lips has nothing to do with my caresses so I take off from him. My eyes rest on the bandage on his shoulder and I understand I hurt him by touching there. His wound is very sensitive, I know how it is, and every touch is painful even with a bandage on to protect it.

“Sanji-ya...”

“It's nothing,” he cuts me while grabbing my face to kiss me again. “I'm fine.”

I let myself be pushed around but my excitment has gone down a bit. I want him of course, and I've wanted him for a long time but I don't want to risk hurting him because he's still wounded so I push him away gently, I can wait a few more days.

“You're barely starting to recover,” I tell him in answer to his questioning look. “You risk hurting yourself for nothing.”

“It doesn't hurt that much...”

He comes forward again, but I raise an eyebrow and gently put my hand on his shoulder, wrenching out a little growl of pain. Seeing I'm not going to give in, he sighs and finally puts his head in the crook of my neck and his arms around me. His reaction makes me smile and I begin to strock his back gently.

“We have time,” I say to reassure him. 

“But I want to...”

He reminds me a bit of a child who has a whim and I have to make an effort not to laugh at his deflated face.

“Me too, of course I do. But I want to wait until you're feeling better for that.”

He starts kissing my neck gently as if to try to change my mind and I have to make an effort not to give up and pick up where we left off. I force him to raise his face gently towards me to look at him for a moment and put a kiss on his lips. He must then understand he won't get what he wants today because he finally falls back on his side, sighing again and with a sulky look before turning his back on me. 

Gently shaking my head I lie down beside him and hold him close, kissing his neck. He acts as if nothing had happened but I can feel him shivering and he doesn't try to get out of my embrace so we stay several minutes like this. 

Then I look at the clock on the wall in front of me and notice it's getting late. Sanji has made it clear to me he's not sleepy, but as far as I'm concerned, now that I know he's out of danger all the fatigue of the last three days is falling on me and last night was obviously not enough to recharge my batteries. I can't hold back a yawn, which makes Sanji turn around in my arms. He smiles at me and raises a hand up to my face to put it on my cheek.

“You should get some sleep," he says. 

“Well,” I smile. “Isn't that what I told you over an hour ago?”

“Yes, except that unlike me you haven't slept much lately so you need it more than I do.”

“That's right, yes...”

He laugh softly. I close my eyes without even bothering to slip between the sheets and fall asleep quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm teasing it a bit too much but I promise next time there will be something spicy xD  
> As usual, I hope you liked this chapter and see you for the next one! Take care! ;)


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! A little more fluff today x)  
> Enjoy!

For the next few days, I follow Sanji's healing closely. His wound is closing faster than mine did, probably because unlike me he has someone to take care of it and he didn't spend a week waiting for death in an old damp shack before it was healed.

A scar will of course remain but it is almost completely healed and after further tests on his blood we are sure he is completely healthy, without any trace of Infection. However I don't know if that makes him immune or not, we don't have any more Infected blood to test this hypothesis and I'm certainly not going to ask him to get bitten again to find it out.

“So, kids,” Shakky starts one night. “What are you going to do when Sanji-chan is fit to leave?”

“We're not sure,” Nami confesses. “We'll probably go back to our lives as before, leave for several weeks, come back to Grand Line when we need to and so on.”

“The World Government's efforts to find us should calm down quickly,” Robin nods, sipping her drink. “We're just going to have to be careful for a few months.”

“What about this antidote thing?”

Everyone is silent for a few moments, and I see Chopper looking up at me for a second. We haven't talked about it since Sanji woke up so I'm not sure what they think about it. I thought about it and personally, I would rather don't let anyone else know about it and I prefer to do nothing and continue to live my life the way I want to, even if it seems selfish. I've never been the kind who wants to save the world anyway.

“That's where we have a problem," the younger one finally intervenes. “We don't know what to do about it at all...”

“We've already talked about it," Sanji says firmly. “There's no way the WG or anyone else knows about this antidote or how it was made, end of story.”

I turn my eyes to him, surprised. I didn't know they'd discussed it among themselves but I'm rather glad he shares my point of view, even if deep down I can't help but feel guilt building up. He wants the world rid of these monsters more than I do and still...

“If the World Government's scientists learn that immunized blood is needed to do this they would be even more on Law's back to send him to a lab," he says. “And I refuse to let that happen again.”

He stares at me for a second and I smile, which is enough to give his cheeks a slight pink hue when he looks away. The fact that he worries so much about me makes me happy, I haven't felt this kind of thing in a long time.

“Sanji-kun is right,” the redhead approves. “They might even be able to go up to the surface to find him if they knew.”

“We won't put Tra-o in danger,” Luffy says, ending the debate.

The others seem to agree because they don't contradict him and Sanji even shows a small satisfied smile before they leave on another subject. It shouldn't surprise me anymore that they are trying to protect me like this but I can't help it, apart from Cora-san and my friends I don't think anyone has ever defended me like they do. Thinking about them I have a little heartache, I wish they would have met the Mugiwara group...

I quickly recover when Rayleigh arrives shortly afterwards and greets everyone warmly. He then advises us to beware if we go out because he spotted more guards than usual in the neighborhood. 

It's unusual but no that worrying, as long as we are careful we are safe and we won't stay here anyway. On top of that our presence at the bar prevents Shakky from opening it as usual and we're all more comfortable on the surface so we'll leave as soon as we can.

Until that's possible, everyone takes turns watching over Sanji, or rather we take turns making sure he doesn't run away from the bar to go for a walk. He's still hurt and weak so he shouldn't go and wander by himself in the city but he doesn't want to understand that. He's been struggling to hold on for the last three or four days and it's getting worse and worse... 

This afternoon it's my turn to watch him and keep him company while everyone else is out. Our companions, and especially the girls, quickly understood I can convince him more easily than them when he doesn't want to do something so they take advantage of it. We went down to the main room of the bar this morning and as Sanji state will allow us to leave in the next few days, the others decided to start preparing our departure while telling him to stay there, of course. 

They all went out a little over two hours ago, Rayleigh is working on something in his workshop and Shakky took the opportunity to shop for the bar. So it's just him and me and Sanji seems to be bored stiff, I see him glaring at the door more and more often with a sigh, as if he's resisting the urge to run away. 

Eventually he gets up to take a bottle of water from the fridge and takes a sip before putting it on the counter and coming back to me with a look of frustration.

“Come on, Law..." he laments as he comes up behind me and puts his arms around my shoulders. “Please...”

“I already told you it's not possible,” I sigh. “No one's here.”

“Exactly, if we go out there, they won't know anything about it. Just a couple hours...”

“And if we're in trouble no one will know where we are, that's a brilliant idea.”

“Oh please, if something happens to us you're here, and I'm much better, I can fight.”

“Sanji-ya...”

“I can't stand being cooped up anymore...” he complains, nestling his face in the crook of my neck. “You've been forcing me to stay here for almost two weeks...”

He doesn't move for several seconds but I'm not going to give in. I don't want to run into a group of guards and with the luck we have lately I'm sure that will happen. As I don't move, he ends up releasing me to walk to the back of the bar with a shuffle.

“Where are you going?” I wonder.

“To sleep, it's the only thing I'm allowed to do anyway...”

I shake my head and chuckle as I hear his footsteps on the floor in the hallway, but I frown when the creaking of the stairs doesn't sound as it should, and I quickly understand why when I hear the back door open and close again immediately.

“You gotta be kidding me...” I let go when I get up.

I immediately follow him outside, then see him walking quietly about a hundred feet away, putting on a jacket Zoro left lying around and then folding the hood over his head. 

I make a Room appear and move us both inside the bar. He turns to me with an surprised look and sighs again while taking off the jacket to put it on a chair.

“Seriously?” I laugh as I approach him to block him against the table behind him. “You didn't really expect it to work, did you?”

“I admit that for a moment I did," he says with a little smile. “I had to try...”

“You know I wouldn't let you get away like that, though.”

I move closer to his face until I can feel his breath on my skin and plunge my eyes into his. He holds my gaze for a while then wraps his arms around my waist to pull me to him as he leans on the table with a little teasing smile.

“If you don't want me to go out... maybe we can find something to do here and make the most of our time alone?”

Even without seeing his look full of innuendos I know what he's talking about, and he leaves no room for doubt when he starts kissing my neck. I've been dying to do it for a long time and for some days now he's been testing my patience and resistance on that side, so I guess I wasn't the only one. 

I dream of hugging him and making love to him, whether it be in the bed in the room we occupy or on the bar counter and the more the seconds go by, the harder it becomes for me not to succumb, but I'm afraid the others would come back and interrupt us at the wrong moment.

“Sanji-ya... the others might come back at any moment.”

“Don't worry about it,” he breaths against my skin. “Nami-san told me that no one would be here before dark.”

I suspect she did it on purpose but if we have a few hours of solitude ahead of us I don't see why I'd continue to resist. This is the first time we've ever been really alone and we both want it so I have no reason to push him away.

“Well, in that case...”

I grab his face to draw him towards me and kiss him with envy, biting his lower lip gently and feeling him smile. His hands get caught in my hair and he pushes me away as he stands up and pushes me against the wall behind me. 

Carried away by desire I grab him by the collar of his shirt to take him with me and in my turn tackle him, this time against one of the wooden posts in the room with a little more force than I wanted, which doesn't seem to bother him. I put my hands under his thighs to lift him and he wraps his legs around my waist to press himself against me. I then carry him without breaking our kiss all the way to the counter to sit him on it and have my hands free to caress him as much as I want.

I follow the curves of his stomach muscles and then his back through his clothes, but it's his skin that I want to touch, I don't want there to be a barrier between us anymore. So I start undoing the buttons of his shirt one by one before sliding it over his shoulders slowly, revealing his scar. 

I stop for a moment to look at it and touch the bite mark with my fingertips. I raise my eyes to his and discover a lot of softness, and also desire. I'm starting to get used to seeing this kind of thing in his eyes when he looks at me, and I find it quite pleasant. I smile and kiss his neck before slowly descending towards his shoulder following the lines of his wound with my lips.

His arms tighten around me, I cover his skin with kisses as I retrace his clavicles and then his throat and take possession of his lips again. They are soft but pressing and I love feeling them against mine, I could spend hours kissing him if I could.

Sanji seems to completely abandon himself to my embrace, he pulls up the bottom of my sweater on my stomach and separates from me long enough to pass it over my head and send it to the ground and starts to observe me attentively.

His eyes follow the lines of the tattoos on my chest and his fingers follow those on my arms and shoulders, causing shivers on my skin. Sitting where he is, he overhangs me by a few inches so I am at the perfect height to gain access to his neck, which I do not hesitate to bite or suck on gently before kissing him again.

He gets more and more impatient, I feel his hands going down on my waist and then my hips and he quickly starts to undo my belt. He has some difficulty undoing the buckle because his hands shake slightly with excitement and he even ends up breaking it by pulling too hard. He stops kissing me for a second to give me a little sorry look before shrugging his shoulders and smiling as he picks up where he left off. Quickly I imitate him and also unbutton his pants.

Immediately he presses his pelvis to mine and I feel he is excited, just like me. A moan escapes me, I bite his lip and feel him smiling against my mouth.

I'm starting to run out of air, I'm getting hotter and hotter and I want to go further than caresses. I can't wait any longer but I don't think doing this on the bar counter is the best idea, even though Sanji says the others won't be back until night, you never know. I don't want to risk getting caught in the middle of the action.

“We should... go upstairs,” I'm gasping for breath between kisses.

“Yeah... let's go”

He loosens the grip on his legs around me. I move away to allow him to get back on his feet, but too impatient, I create a Room to bring us to our bedroom right away. Sanji looks around with a surprised look.

“It's a really practical power," he comments with an amused smile.

“You have no idea.”

I gently push him back to the bed behind and drop him on it before placing myself above him to resume my caresses. As my pants become umconfortable I quickly pull them off to send them to the floor and slide Sanji's pants down along his legs to do the same thing before leaving his lips to discover his body.

I cover his chest with delightful kisses as I slowly go down lower and lower. I pass my lips over his stomach following the lines of his muscles, I take my time while he runs his hands through my hair, sighing comfortably. I go up slightly and run my tongue over one of his nipples, I linger there to play with it and caress the other with one hand before concentrating further down.

At the limit of the few clothes he has left, I look up at him, who's staring at me with desire and a smile stretching his lips. I pick up where I left off, but rather than concentrating on where he seems to want to, I want to tease him a bit to stir up his desire a little more, so I go down again to kiss his thighs, even leaving a few marks that I will be the only one to see when he starts to get impatient.

“Law... come on...”

“I find you quite impatient,” I smile, going back up towards his face.

His voice is made hoarse by the wait and anticipation, he starts laughing but I feel his patience will soon run out. In spite of that I want to make this moment last as long as I can, I want to show him how important he is to me without rushing and I want to make sure he likes it. 

I listen to his heart beating in his chest and every sigh that passes his lips sounds like a sweet melody to my ears, telling me what makes him react the most. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to agree with me as he pushes me aside and passes over me.

“I've never been a very patient person," he says, pressing his lips to mine.

In turn, he takes advantage of his dominance over me to do what he wants, his fingers glide over my chest and sides while our tongues meet tirelessly. After a while he begins to move his hips against mine and I feel his excitement against me, quickly fanning my desire. 

If he continues like this I won't be able to hold on for long before moving on to the serious stuff... which is surely what he wants. I put my hands on his butt and stick him even closer to me, pulling a little moan out of his mouth.

“Who's impatient now?” He smiles.

For any answer I bite his lip, which makes him laugh, and take him to the side to be on top again, then I bend in half to remove my last layer of clothing without ceasing to kiss him, and do the same for him. 

We finally find ourselves against each other, no more clothes between us, only his skin against mine and this feeling is even more exhilarating than I could have imagined.

I detail his body quickly and look up at his face to meet his burning gaze. I notice his cheeks are red and I don't know if it is because like me all this makes his temperature rise or if he is still embarrassed to find himself like this. Maybe both, but in any case he doesn't seem to want to stop now because he's putting his arms around my neck to attract me to him. 

I let myself be pushed around with pleasure and cover his body completely with mine, feeling his warm sex against my lower abdomen.

I feel him give light strokes as we kiss again and again until, no longer holding on, I finally let go of his lips, breathless.

“Sanji-ya,” I let go as he begins to attack my neck. “I can't take it anymore...”

Each of his movements creates friction on my member, strong enough to give me pleasure but too light to really satisfy me, frustrating me as much as possible, and I'll probably explode if he continues like that for another minute. I can't wait any longer...

“I thought you'd never make up your mind,” he murmurs close to my ear.

He kisses me on the cheek and falls back on the sheets, giving me a look meaning he wants more, so I don't play hard to get any longer.

**~O~**

Contrary to what I might have thought a little over two months ago when I met him, Law is a very gentle and caring person, and he has been proving this for some time now. Even now, I can see he wants to go further as much as I do, but he takes his time, his lips and hands go all over my body, leaving a crazy warm feeling behind them and makes me want much more.

Suddenly I feel his fingers getting closer to my lower abdomen and gently grasping my manhood to caress it, making me let out a moan because of the surprise.

He furtively raises his eyes towards me and I see him smiling as he continues his treatment, then burying his face in my neck.

“Lie down on your stomach," he whispers into my ear. 

I obey him without hesitation and turn around, resting my head on a pillow. He raises my hips and for a moment I am a little embarrassed to be in this position but his caresses on my sex resume and I quickly forget my embarrassment to focus on pleasure. 

His chest is pressed against my back, I feel his member against my butt and his breath burning in my neck every time I move my hips to match the movements of his hand. Honestly, I've never felt so much pleasure with anyone, and we haven't even gotten down to the real thing yet. I don't know if it's the fact I love Law that multiplies my feelings tenfold or if he's just very good at this kind of thing but even when he starts to prepare me every move he makes is pleasant. 

After a while he straightens up, I regret that the warmth of his body in my back disappears and he does nothing for a few seconds then one of his fingers penetrates me slowly. He starts to thrusts inside of me at the same rhythm as on my sex and after a moment I have to bite my lip and hide my face in the pillow so as not to moan too loudly. 

He quickly adds a second one and I feel them in me, my hips almost move on their own to deepen his gestures, to feel more. I am hot, I start to run out of air and after a few minutes I can't take it anymore, I need more, and Law must realize it because he takes his fingers out.

The sudden stop of his caresses wrenches a complaint of frustration out of me. I can't see him so I turn my head and notice he's watching me.

My heart was already pounding, yet when his gaze meets mine I feel it accelerate all the more and a shiver runs down my spine. I notice a little glass bottle half empty on the bed but I don't have time to ask what it is or where he found it, he leans over me so I instinctively raise my head and half turn to kiss him even though I'm already short of breath. His fingers brush my cheek, his other arm embraces my waist and he slowly enters me.

I try to hold back a grimace caused by the pain but he moves slowly and after a few moments he stops completely so that I get used to it and kiss my shoulder. I didn't notice it before but his heart beats in his chest almost as hard as mine. His breathing is fast too but I can't see his face and I miss it a little.

Still, I can tell he is obviously in the same state as me. I suspect he must be having a hard time resisting and not moving so after a short while I put one hand on his cheek and kiss him while moving my hips to make him understand he can do it, somehow I never craved pleasure and being hold this much. 

He starts going slowly, then faster and faster. I try to hold back the moans, but it's hard to do so because each of his thrusts sends waves of pleasure mixed with a little pain throughout my body, so I'm relieved to know we're alone. 

Eventually I release Law's lips so I can breathe and I vaguely feel them linger on my neck and shoulder. My whole body is burning and I need to hold on to something, I need to see Law's face and touch him.

“Law, wait. Let me-... Let me see you.”

I have troubles to articulate but I think he heard me. He stops moving for a moment, then I manage to catch my breath and breathe a little more freely and turn around to face him. 

His cheeks are a little red, his hair falls back in front of his eyes in a messy way and his look is so intense it almost makes me shiver. 

Barely a second later I take his face in my hands and pull him closer to kiss him. At the same time I put my legs around his hips to make him understand that I want him to pick up where he left off and he seems to understand the message quickly because I feel him in me again the next moment.

I bury my face in the crook of his shoulder and run my hands behind his back. It's like I start losing control on my body because of the pleasure, I scratch his skin and will probably leave marks on it but I can't help anything anymore, even thinking is hardly possible for me. I hear and feel Law's fast breathing near my ear, he sometimes whispers my name, which makes me even more excited. I tell him I love him but we're both so lost in pleasure I'm not sure he hears me or even understands me.

The more minutes go by and the closer I feel to deliverance but I don't want it to stop so soon. I hold on to him as much as I can, but Law is still pounding faster and stronger while masturbating me, until finally I can't hold on any longer and free myself, letting out a cry more powerful than the others. 

He doesn't slow down his rhythm and kisses me for a long time before finally making a moan of pleasure as the grip of his hand on my skin gets stronger then he gradually stops all movement to collapse on me, out of breath. He looks for my hand and holds it in his, putting a few kisses on my chest before moving away from me a moment later. 

I then see him create a Room and understands the little bottle I saw arrived there the same way when he make towels appear in his hand to clean us. Once this is done, he pulls me to lay my head on his chest and bring the sheets over us, I feel his heart beating against my ear, still at a fast pace, and close my eyes until we both get back to normal breathing.

**~O~**

I look up at the ceiling while distractedly stroking Sanji's hair, an arm wrapped around his shoulders while his head rests on my chest. I feel his fingers touching my side, where my scar is, and I enjoy the soothing silence with the person I love in my arms, still in the mists of pleasure.

All I can tell myself is that I am lucky to have him and I would probably do anything for him, anything to make him happy. Then I think back to his face when he was talking about what he would do once he was released from his Mercenary duty, and the fact with what has happened in the last few days he probably gave up that idea... to protect me.

“What's on your mind?” He asks suddenly.

I look down on him and he looks up at me, I don't know how long he's been observing me like that. In spite of myself my gaze falls on the mark now adorning his bare shoulder.

“Nothing in particular,” I smile.

“Hmm... that's the look you get when you think too much about something that I'm sure doesn't deserve so much attention.”

I laugh softly, he's starting to know me a little too well.

“So, what's worth your head at a time like this?”

“I was thinking about what you said the other day. Are you really willing to give up a world without Infected like you wanted... because of me?”

He stands up to face me and sighs.

“Law, I'm not giving up anything.”

“You could get what you want, go back to working at the Baratie like you told me and-”

“That's not gonna happen,” he cuts.

“It might, if we do the right thing.”

“What right thing are you talking about ?”

“You know very well which one.”

He looks at me for seconds like he doesn't know what I mean then frowns. I want to give him what he deserves, even if it means making sacrifices. I'm selfish enough to want to survive but, for him maybe...

“I thought you-” He sighs. “Don't get started on this," he finally says. “We talked about this last time and there's no way anyone's going to find out that you've managed to develop an antidote.”

“It would save the world, though...”

“I don't give a damn about the world!" he interrupts, grabbing my face with both hands. "What happened that you don't want to stay discreet anymore? I love you Law and you're the only one I want, even if it means keeping all this for ourselves.”

I want to say it's him but with these words he puts his lips on mine softly. I let myself be swept away by his kiss and gently run a hand across his cheek, smiling.

“I love you too Sanji-ya,” I breath when we part.

“Then stop talking nonsense like that, idiot. And don't you dare think about such things again.”

He gives me a little bump in the arm and I hug him for a few moments, until a noise comes from downstairs, announcing the return of our friends. I admit I'm a little disappointed they're already here, I would have liked to spend some more time alone with Sanji...

“Sanji-kun, Tra-o! Are you up there?” Nami's voice asks.

“Yes!” The blond shouts. “We're coming, just a minute!”

He kisses me quickly and gets up, giving me a last look at his naked silhouette before he puts on pants and starts looking for something all over the room.

“Come on," he grumbles as I push the blanket to the side. “Where did I put my-...?”

“Well. Isn't it Sanji-san's shirt on the floor?” Brook's voice exclaims downstairs.

“And... that's Law's, right?” Chopper answers.

Sanji freezes in his movements and turns his head towards me with a panicked look. I start laughing at the look on his face and sit on the edge of the mattress and keep watching him move. The idea we were so carried away by what we were doing that we left some of our clothes downstairs obviously amuses me more than him.

“It's not funny!” he says, throwing me the first T-shirt that falls into his hands. “And get dressed instead of laughing, they're going to figure it out if we don't get down soon.”

“Believe me, I think Nami-ya already knows exactly what we were doing while they were away, we may lose another minute.”

I get up and grab him by the arm to draw him to me. He tries to push me away to get up, but he quickly lets himself go when I start kissing him. I nibble his earlobe and caress his belly.

“I can't get enough of you...” I whisper in his ear.

He smiles and starts to laugh softly then I sigh, finally I release my embrace and he gets up to put on a new shirt while down below, Luffy, Zoro and Robin come back from their little stroll. I get dressed quickly too and leave the room with Sanji.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finally they had time to let things get steamy! :3  
> Hope you liked it!


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you had a great holidays if you celebrate any!  
> Here's chapter 27, enjoy! ~

Before going down the stairs I try to rearrange my hair which I know is completely in a mess under Law's amused look when I hear the bar door open again and then Shakky's voice greeting the others before asking what clothes are doing on the counter. Nami answers while laughing that she doesn't know and that it was already there when they arrived. A bit ashamed, I join the group in the main room of the bar with Law. 

“Nami,” Luffy complains. “Why did we have to wait so long to get home? We got bored... And then Zoro got lost.”

“Shh, it was for a good cause.”

Maybe there's no point in trying to look presentable after all... When I get to the room I find Chopper sipping a glass of juice with Brook, a cup of tea in his hand. 

Luffy and Zoro are slumped on chairs and I meet the heavy glances of Robin and Nami posed on me as well as the amused one of Shakky. I approach the fridge and open it without any particular reason to avoid them while Law sits next to the Marimo, but the redhead comes towards me pushing the door away.

“So Sanji-kun,” she finally starts with a smile. “What did you and Law do while we were away?”

She lifts my shirt and Law's sweater in front of my eyes and I can't help but blush as I think back to what we were doing less than an hour before. 

“I- um- nothing particular, really...”

I don't know what to tell her. The worst thing is, she must know what we did and she's doing it on purpose.

“Oh come on,” she adds, lowering her voice. “You didn't spend the whole afternoon talking when you were alone, did you?”

“Not really, no...”

“Oh! So you took advantage of it!”

She looks at me with an air full of innuendo and knowing Law, Luffy and Zoro can hear our conversation, I don't really feel like dwelling on the subject, even if those two don't pay attention. 

“Um- I don't...”

“Nami-ya, why are you torturing him like this when you already know the answer to that question?”

Law approached us and as he said those words he put his arm around my waist to hold me with a smile on his face, saving me the trouble of answering myself. In spite of everything, I blush when Nami starts to laugh and smile with a satisfied air before waving to Robin, who answers her by a wink.

I then throw a glance at Shakky, who is cleaning glasses five feet away from us and who raises her eyes towards me smiling before I focus again on the ground, a little embarrassed now that I realize we almost had sex where she is standing. She must understand because she starts laughing as Nami goes back to sit with the brunette.

“Don't worry Sanji-chan,” she says as she stubs out her cigarette into the ashtray. “Believe me, this counter has been through a lot worse than what you could have done there.”

I turn red again and try to chase away the kind of images that come to mind when I join my friends at the table without knowing what to say to her. 

Shortly after, Franky and Usopp accompanied by Rayleigh arrive in their turn and I almost laugh when I see they all come back almost at the same time. I don't have too much difficulty to imagine Nami, probably with Robin's help, really succeeded in convincing everyone to leave during the whole afternoon just so that Law and I could have a little privacy. 

We all take care of our Nakamas as best we can, but they're the only ones to think about these things. We are always all together practically on top of each other, so we don't have a single moment to ourselves. Usually we don't mind, we're like a family and we have nothing to hide from each other but when we come back to town it's not uncommon for one or two of us to disappear for a couple of days to do a little bit of living on our own and go and see the people we left behind when we went to the surface.

In short, we never had a member of our group needing the others to slip away, but that was before Law came along. On the bus it's impossible to be alone, but I'm grateful to all of them for making an effort for me today, because with everyone wanted and therefore forced to keep a low profile, finding a moment just for the two of us was not easy. 

With Law we could have done this anytime while we are at Grand Line if only it wasn't for the Marimo and Luffy who have over-developed hearing and could hear absolutely everything from their rooms. The joys of Mercenary life in community, very little privacy.

“Alright!" Nami exclaims, taking me out of my thoughts, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention as she stoods up. “Since Sanji-kun has completely recovered from his wounds and we have everything we need, I propose that we leave Grand Line tomorrow. “

“Already?” Luffy asks, surprised.

He doesn't seem to realize we've been here for almost three weeks... everyone is sighing or looking up at the sky, but no one is saying anything.

“We can't stay here forever," Brook intervenes. “We're putting Shakky-san and Rayleigh-san in danger by staying here, they could be arrested at any moment for hiding us like they do.”

“That's right,” the redhead nods. “And with every day that goes by, we risk getting caught a little more, too.”

“Don't worry about us, Brook," Rayleigh smiles. “We're not worried about that, you know you can stay here as long as you want.”

Even though we know this we don't want to intrude too long, they've already done a lot and we don't want to ask them for more. 

“By the way guys!” Usopp exclaims after we finish our dinner. “I almost forgot, thanks to Rayleigh we got some bikes back! We've only got five so far but that's enough to get us all around together. We finished renovating them this afternoon with Franky.”

“That's awesome!” Luffy laughes. “You're the best, Usopp, Franky, Rayleigh!”

Having bikes again will allow us to be much more mobile and to move in smaller groups, which is great because we will be able to resume our small expeditions as before. Except that one small detail seems to elude the others...

“And how are we going to take them with us?” I ask, lighting a cigarette. “I remind you that we don't have the bus and that we have to climb a at least five hundred yards high ladder to reach the surface.”

My question stops the enthusiasm of the others and brings a smile to Law and Rayleigh's face. As I suspected, no one thought about it. It's not like we can carry a bike on our backs and climb like that so that's good news, but I don't see how we're going to get them out of here. 

The only way to leave Grand Line with vehicles is to take the big elevator at the main entrance and get through the security checkpoints. There are ten of us and we are all wanted so we don't have a chance to get past the security guards at these checkpoints. 

“Can we still leave them in Rayleigh's workshop and try to pick them up later?” Chopper suggests.

The person concerned nods. We don't have any other solution anyway, the World Government is not going to forget about us by tomorrow.

I'm still happy to leave the oppressive atmosphere of the underground city and regain the relative freedom the surface can offer us though, even if we will once again be able to enjoy the presence of the Infected. After my last encounter with these monsters, I'm in no hurry to see them again.

I regret not to have been able to go see Zeff while we were there, but between my prohibition to leave the bar by my friends and the guards it wasn't prudent to go in the city center, I know it well. I wonder what he thinks about the whole thing. He must be wondering why wanted posters with my name and the names of my friends are posted all over the city and I can't even explain to him why....

After all this, we continue to talk and then we each go to our rooms. I go upstairs with Law and immediately take the direction of the bathroom to take a shower. 

I have been under hot water for only a few minutes when I hear the door of the room open behind me and I can't help but smile. I stand with my back to him, then Law opens the shower curtain and slides in beside me and make me face him before kissing me without saying a word. 

Pushing me gently against the cold glass wall, one of his hands immediately lands on my lower back, the other on my neck and he presses himself to me. Feeling his skin against mine under the warm water is exciting and I think I have become addicted to his kisses. I wonder how I could have waited so long to do it.

With my fingers in his wet hair, I slowly go down his back and end up touching his butt with envy while pressing my hips to his.

“You already want to go at it again?” He breaths against my lips and smiles. “I didn't think you'd be so eager to resume this...”

“Then don't come into my shower,” I smile, luring him back in with a kiss.

He gently bites my lower lip, caressing my skin, making me want more and more to go further. A few moans of pleasure escape from my lips while his get lost in my neck, until the mood gets completely spoiled.

“Oi! You're not on your own anymore. If you're going to get laid, do it quietly stupid eyebrow! The Marimo shouts from his room. “I'd like to sleep and I don't want to hear that!”

I part from Law in a hurry and cast an embarrassed glance at him before turning in the direction of the voice.

“Shut up shitty swordman!” I shout to cover the noise of the water. “If you don't want to hear, don't listen!”

“Maybe I could if you stopped making so much noise!”

My cheeks turn red. That's exactly why having a relationship in this group is impossible... Law puts a kiss on my head, laughing but the walking seaweed completely cooled me down.

With a sigh I resign myself to finishing my shower normally and we get out of the bathroom a few minutes later to go to sleep. In bed I snuggle up with Law and close my eyes wishing him a good night before falling asleep almost immediately.

**~O~**

Although I've probably been trying for over two hours, I can't fall asleep. In the darkness, I can see Sanji's shoulders rising slowly to the rhythm of his breathing. He's been sleeping for a long time, lucky him. I close my eyes again in the hope that I'll end up falling asleep but I can't, and I don't want to risk waking Sanji by getting up because his head is resting on my chest.

Suddenly I hear noise on the ground floor, breaking the peaceful silence of the night. It's the bar door opening with a slight squeak but at this time of the night it's not likely to be a customer. I think it must be Rayleigh who comes to get something but quickly changes my mind, the footsteps tell me there are several people who have just entered and then close the door again. 

I don't hear any voices that can tell me who it is, but in any case it's not normal. Something is wrong, so I stand up and start shaking Sanji gently to wake him up.

“Sanji-ya,” I whisper as low as I can. “Wake up.”

“Hmm...” he's still asleep. “It's already mor-... ?”

I put my hand over his mouth to keep him from making noise and silence him. He looks up at me with a confused look. I then tell him to listen with a gesture, so he raises his head and turns towards me again when he hears the noise coming from below. 

Those who are there seem to be looking for something, or someone, for I hear several doors opening and I quickly understand they must be guards looking for us. I don't know how they found out we're here but luckily for us, the bar is pretty big and there are also rooms on the lower floor so we have a few minutes to get ready for them. 

Among these guards there must be Mercenaries so I get up doing everything I can not to crack the bed frame or the floor but it's not easy, I have to move in slow motion. 

I hope the low noise is enough to wake Zoro up so that he can be prepared but I only hear the slow breathing of our sleeping companions. I then wave to Sanji and make a Room appear to move us into the room that the green-haired one shares with Chopper so we won't be spotted. 

I see him sitting on the edge of his bed, completely motionless and certainly listening to what's going on downstairs.

“Did you hear them too?” he asks in a barely audible whisper.

I nod, he then grabs his swords and gets up. He wakes Chopper up and quickly tells him to keep quiet and go and wake the others and leave immediately as soon as we have left the room. 

I make my weapon appear in my hand and indicate to Zoro and Sanji I am ready. They nod to me and I move the three of us into the main room of the bar. From here we can hear a little more clearly the noise our visitors make and I quickly conclude there are more than ten of them and there are others waiting outside.

I guess they are all armed and it is most likely with the aim of killing us. If I am originally wanted alive so that the World Government can use me as an experiment subject, now they certainly want to kill all of us so that we don't talk about what is going on in their laboratories, so I will have no qualms about taking their lives.

I stand in front of the door of a room where two people have entered and the other two do the same. When the door opens, I draw out my blade and stick it into the belly of the man coming out, in front of the second person.

“What the hell is... Argh!”

I silence him too before he finishes his sentence, but he has already caught the attention of the others, who rush out into the corridor to see what the problem is. One of them gets his stomach sliced by Zoro while another one is sent against the wall in a thud by a kick from Sanji, there's no use to be discreet anymore. 

I discern the noise Chopper makes upstairs waking everyone up and avoid the fist of a woman running at me before sending her head to meet a door, knocking her down. 

Those who are in front of the bar enter when they hear the racket we make while fighting and the group comes down at that moment, led by Luffy who rushes in without understanding what's going on.

“Who are these guys?” He asks as he comes downstairs. 

“Guards, apparently we've been spotted,” Sanji answers. 

“We have to leave right away,” I advise then, looking around.

The others nod, Usopp hands Sanji and me our backpacks and stuff before we head for the exit. 

We go through the door to find a large group of guards in the street heading towards us. Obviously they know it is not a dozen people who will stop us and have brought back a little more people...

“We can't go through the secret passage with so many guards on our tail," Robin observes.

“What other choice do we have?” Nami sighs. “This is the only way out for us.” 

Indeed... but if we flee to the house hiding the passage it will be discovered and we will lose our chances of getting back to Grand Line, we and probably many others so we can't take that risk. 

“If we blow them all up we won't have that problem anymore," says Zoro. 

He rushes in with Luffy and I see Nami and Sanji sighing. It may not be the smartest solution but they're not totally wrong... so I follow them and start fighting alongside them to try and lead the way. 

The guards are getting more and more numerous, they keep arriving and I have to admit not all of them are as weak as I thought. Out of the corner of my eye I see people at the windows of the houses around, alerted by the noise of the fighting in the middle of the night. 

The more minutes go by, the more people there are, both spectators and opponents, and we cannot afford to waste any more time, people more dangerous than that will end up being drawn by the racket.

There's always a price on our heads and if Mercenaries like Kidd are lured by our bounties we're going to have a harder time getting out of this mess so we have to act fast, but with so many guards around it's not that simple. They completely surround us and prevent us from fleeing in any direction. 

As much as possible I prefer to avoid using my powers, I prefer to save my energy in case we need it later on and luckily the whole group is doing pretty well at the moment. Even Usopp, who doesn't look very confident, sends an impressive number of guards on the ground. 

Unfortunately, even so there are too many of them and if this keeps going I'll have no choice but to use them or we'll end up being overwhelmed. 

I resign myself to creating a Room to quickly get rid of the overflow of opponents when a large number of them suddenly collapse on my right. I turn my head in that direction wondering if it isn't a bad omen when Rayleigh's silhouette appears behind the guards and joins us in the middle. Everyone relaxes at the sight of him.

“Well, I leave you alone for one night and this is what happens?” he laughs.

“Rayleigh!” Luffy exclaims with a big smile on his face.

I know he's an ex-mercenary of some renown, but I had no idea he was so powerful. He swept dozens of guards with one gesture and those in his path seem to know who he is because they step aside to let him pass with a frightened look in their eyes. Others, more reckless, do not seem to want to let him make a fool of them in this way and soon they come at us again despite Rayleigh's presence.

“I see you are in some trouble," he continued, punching a man who throws himself at him. 

“We can't leave,” Chopper says. “There's too many of them to get out of our way to take the passage.”

“There's a much more obvious way out than this one, Chopper," The other replies. 

“We don't have the bus to get out of the hole this time...” Usopp starts, approaching the other two.

“It was a nice trick I admit, but I was thinking of something much simpler.”

The old man smiles at them and they exchange a confused look. I understand what he means when my gaze falls on the imposing installation of the elevator behind them, practically at the other end of the city.

“We are going through the main entrance,” I declare.

The others turn their eyes at me in astonishment, as if I had just said the biggest nonsense they've ever heard while continuing to bang the guards who are getting too close.

“Are you out of your mind, Doc?” Zoro finally asks, in prey with two guards. “We can't get out this way.”

“No, he's right,” Nami steps in. “Think about it, we couldn't get out that way because we'd get recognized and get arrested before we even reached the elevator but at this point it's the only solution we have!”

They start to think about it but, not having a better idea to propose, they exchange a resigned look.

“Yohoho! And how are we going to get to the elevator with all those guards on our way?” Brook asks.

“We've got super bikes for that!” Franky shouts as he sticks his huge metal fist in a man's face to get close to us.

“In that case it's decided, let's go!” The redhead orders.

“Go to the workshop,” Rayleigh intervenes, smiling. “I'll cover you.”

The latter sends a powerful shock wave around him, sending dozens of guards into the air and clearing a passage for us, so we rush immediately in the direction of the workshop.

“Thanks again Rayleigh!" Nami says, turning around. “And thank Shakky-san for us!”

“I will," he replies. “See you soon, kids!”

Zoro, Luffy, Sanji and I in the lead to clear the way if necessary we all run together without a single guard chasing us, all held back by Rayleigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go again, they really can't have more than two chapters quite x)  
> Hope you enjoyed it! I wish you an early happy new year and see you later!


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new Year! I hope you had nice holidays and got to see your loved ones!
> 
> Here's chapter 28, enjoy~

We reach the workshop in a few seconds thanks to Rayleigh who holds back most of the guards but there are so many of them chasing us, some had to go around where he is to intercept us because we pass some of them but we easily counter them.

There we find the five bikes arranged under dark sheets in the middle of an empty space. I remove the one of one of the bikes and discover our new vehicles but unfortunately we don't have time to rave about Franky and Usopp's work because I can already hear the hasty footsteps of the guards around the building. I get on the bike, Usopp takes place behind me while the others quickly split into pairs and we start towards the exit. 

Outside we pass guards running in our direction and throwing themselves to the side so as not to get run over as we hurtle through the streets of Grand Line.

“Wow, guys!” Luffy exclaims. “These bikes are even faster than the old ones, it's awesome!”

Behind him Nami clings to his shirt with all her strength so she doesn't fall down, asking him to be careful screaming, making him laugh even more as he nearly runs into a house. 

Nobody manages to catch up with us and we cross part of the city easily, without being bothered, until an engine noise that doesn't come from us is heard. The Marimo turns his head in the direction of the noise at the same time as I do, we then see a man on a motorbike in a cloud of smoke catching up with us. That was the last thing we needed...

“Mugiwara!” he shouts. “I order you to stop!”

“Kemurin?” Luffy is as surprised as the rest of us. “It's been a long time!”

“Stop making conversation with him, you idiot!” Nami yells, hitting him on the head. “He's here to stop us!”

The latter sends his fist of smoke towards Luffy, who dodges it by taking a street crossing the one we're on at the last moment, thus disappearing from our sight and immediately chased by our pursuer.

Smoker is nicknamed the White Hunter because of his demon fruit ability that transforms his body into smoke and he is one of the most feared guards because he doesn't let go of his prey easily and wants to enforce justice at all costs. I don't think he is a bad person and even though he is currently chasing us I can't really blame him and I would rather avoid fighting him if possible. 

He is one of the only members of the World Government to be totally fair, despite the fact he is mostly known to be violent. Even though he doesn't really like other Mercenaries in general, we've already crossed paths with him several times and for some reason I don't know Luffy likes him, but obviously it's not reciprocal.

Instead of Smoker, other guards are coming with cars or motorbikes, we are still quite far from the lift but with these guys on our heels we're going to have a hard time gaining enough time to get up there so if we don't lose them or beat them we have little chance of succeeding. 

The Marimo must be thinking the same thing because I can see him letting Franky take the handlebars to turn around and jump to the ground before destroying the vehicle of one of our pursuers with his blades, forcing the others to stop. We also stop our bikes to know what this idiot has in mind.

“Oi, Zoro!” Usopp worries. “What the hell are you doing?!” 

“I'm taking care of them. You, keep moving,” he answers without turning to us.

“Cause you think you're gonna make it on your own?” I scoff when I see the twenty or so guards and Smoker, who's probably lost to Luffy, coming up to him.

“Shut up Ero-Cook! I know what I'm doing!”

“I'll stay with Zoro-ya, we'll be more efficient together.”

I turn to Law, standing next to him, with an surprised look. It's true that with those two there's little chance the guards will win and I know it's silly of me... but I can't help worrying about Law when he's not with me. He turns his head towards me and has to see what I'm thinking because he gives me a little smile, as if to reassure me.

“Don't worry Sanji-ya, we'll join you as soon as we're done here.”

“In that case we'll leave you a bike," Chopper says, leaving his own to ride behind Franky. “We'll be waiting for you!”

“You can count on us, Chopper, me and the Doc will knock 'em dead quick!”

After a last look at them I start with the others and hope to have no more bad surprises on the way.

****

~O~

****

**  
**

As soon as our companions leave Smoker sends his fist to try and stop them before they are too far away but I block it with my blade. I don't intend to let him go after Sanji and the others.

“We are your opponents, Hakuryo-ya!”

“That'll do for now then,” he spits. “And once I stop you, your friends will be next.”

Once the bikes are out of his reach, I relax a bit and turn my full attention to him and the other men in front of us. They don't waste a moment to throw themselves on us, wrapped in a cloud of smoke that surrounds us quickly. The shots start to rain, Smoker hidden in the cloud hits from all sides while the other guards take advantage of the opportunity to attack us. 

We have to get rid of these parasites so we can concentrate on Smoker. I exchange a glance with Zoro and create a Room to take care of it, otherwise we will waste a lot of time and energy for nothing. 

I give a sword blow in front of me and destroy the guards vehicles to make sure they can't follow us and split the air again to attack them all at once. They fall to the ground in an instant, leaving only their leader, who managed to avoid the blow. I then make the Room disappear and watch him.

“And why didn't you do that in the first place again?” Zoro growls. 

“My powers don't work like Mugiwara-ya's,” I answer with a shrug. “I get tired If I use them too much, so I'm saving my energy.”

“Don't think you're gonna get away with killing my men, Trafalgar!”

“Smoker-san!” a female voice shouts behind him. 

He takes the Jitte he is carrying on his back and slaps it to the ground in a gesture of anger when a woman with glasses and a katana comes from a side street and stops in front of him. He turns his head towards her for a second, still with frowned eyebrows.

“We've lost track of Mugiwara," she says. “I've come to assist you!”

“Tashigi...”

He doesn't add anything. I'm suspicious of this woman, even if she doesn't look frankly threatening. She takes out her blade and puts herself in position in front of us, ready to attack us. Sketching a smile, I'm glad Sanji isn't here, that idiot wouldn't have been able to face her because of his extreme chivalry. A nod from Zoro assures me he's taking care of her, which means I have to fight Smoker alone. 

I tighten my grip on the handle of my katana with one hand and make a new Room appear with the other, encompassing all four of us. Smoker's gaze on me gets harder, so I run at him as fast as I can, I need to get this fight over with as fast as possible. I shoot my blade down, he shields it with his weapon and tries to throw his fist in my face, which I avoid while sending my knee into his stomach. He takes it and grinds at the shock, which makes me smile. 

Thanks to the Haki, his ability to turn his body into smoke loses its effectiveness against me, I can still touch him instead of going through. I take the opportunity to hit him again, taking his breath away and making him fall to his knees, which causes me to get a black look from him. 

Before he gets up, I can see out of the corner of my eye that Zoro's doing well against this Tashigi, even though I feel he doesn't really want to hurt her. I don't know why he's doing this, I thought he's got no qualms about hitting men and women in the same way, unlike Sanji. I also prefer to avoid killing as many people as possible but not at the risk of getting killed myself...

I quickly focus on my opponent againn who is already standing and obviously wants to kill me... He turns the lower part of his body into smoke and rushes in my direction, his weapon in front. He split the air with it, which I narrowly dodged by jumping backwards. We exchange a few blows, he manages to hit me a few times with his weapon, because of which my shoulder now hurts and I managed to cut him several times, as evidenced by his few bleeds and his jacket torn in places. 

I start to get out of breath, I avoid another blow and in my movement, I bend down to the ground and pick up a small handful of pebbles that I keep in my closed fist. I distance myself from Smoker to force him to run into me and throw what I have in my hand when he does so. The pebbles go through his head as if there was nothing before swapping my place with the projectiles. 

So I find myself behind him and kick him in the flank, sending him to the ground grumbling before he understands what's happening to him and I can take a breather and threaten him by putting my blade against his throat. He slowly gets down on his knees, staring at me.

“What are you waiting for to finish me off?” He spits when he sees I don't move.

I hesitate for a second but I don't want to kill him, I know him mostly by reputation but I know he's not bad. He may be one of the only guards who can be reasoned with and who doesn't blindly follow all the orders given to him, so I take my shot.

“I'll spare you if you let us go,” I say. 

“If you don't kill me now, I promise you'll end your life in prison, Trafalgar.”

“That's where you're wrong, Hakuryo-ya,” I answer with a chuckle. “Prison is not where the World Government intends to send me. In fact, there's even a small chance I'll make it out alive now.”

He frowns, probably wondering what I'm getting at when I hear the woman scream in pain.

I turn my head towards her holding her shoulder, letting go of Smoker's eyes for a second. He takes the opportunity to escape from me and gets up to hit me. I receive the blow to the jaw but I get up without waiting and back up slightly. I see him raise his weapon high enough and I take advantage of this to use my means of last resort. 

I hit him in the chest with my free hand, expelling his heart into a transparent cube that falls to the ground behind him as he collapses, unconscious but alive. I pick up the cube while the woman runs in my direction, followed by Zoro who probably understands she won't be able to do much because he doesn't hurry. 

The latter rushes on me, her weapon in front but I disarm her with a single gesture so she just gives me a black look before focusing on the man on the ground. Once at my level, Zoro puts away his weapon but still keeps an eye on the woman and a hand on the handle of his katanas.

“Smoker-san!” She kneels down next to him and looks at the neat rectangular hole in his chest before looking daggers at me with tears in her eyes as she squeezes her weapon in her hand. “Trafalgar Law, you bastard! How dare you?!”

“He's not dead,” I declare calmly. “But I could remedy this quickly.” I raise his heart in front of her, beating in my hand as if it was still in his chest.

“How is that poss-?”

“We're going to leave,” I cut off, this is no time to answer her questions. “If you make the slightest move to stop us, I'll crush his heart in my hand in a second and this time he dies for good, understood?”

“What will you do with it if I let you run away?”

“I'll give this back to you and we'll pretend we never ran into you.”

She seems to hesitate between her duty and saving her comrade's life for a short while, but she finally puts her blade away and puts it on the ground, shaking her head reluctantly. “Very well,” she says. “Leave.”

I smile at her with a little superior look before handing her Smoker' heart and turning my heels to leave in the company of Zoro.

“Wait a minute!” She yells suddenly.

I turn and look at her again, wiping her face.

“Why are you wanted?” She asks.

“You're following orders without even knowing why you're doing it?” Zoro mocks, rising an eyebrow and looking at her.

“Our superiors told us you committed a very serious crime but wouldn't tell what it was about,” she explains. “Smoker-san was reluctant to follow these orders in the first place and even if you're criminals... you don't seem guilty.”

“Yet we killed dozens of your companions,” I add to see how she reacts.

She frowns and seems to refrain from saying something but doesn't answer. I then take a second to think, I don't know what to tell her to be honest. It would take far too long to explain everything to her and I don't have the time or the wish to do so. But I tell myself that to succeed in getting someone like this Tashigi and especially Smoker to question their orders, or even to insinuate a doubt in them about the WG's intentions wouldn't be so bad.

“When he wakes up,” I start, pointing to Smoker. “Go to the WG labs south of town, the ones attacked by the Mugiwara a few weeks ago and ask them what kind of experiments they're conducting, if you're really interested.”

“There are no labs south of the city," she replies without missing a beat, looking confident. “The Mugiwara attacked some warehouses...”

“Yeah, right,” Zoro grumbles. 

“Go there,” I repeat. “And maybe even ask about Punk Hazard.”

“Punk Hazard...?”

With these words I turn around and go with Zoro to the intact motorbike waiting for us about fifty feet away. 

“Your powers are pretty freaky, Doc',” he comments.

“They are?”

“Yeah, first you can slice stuff from a distance and now you can rip a guy's heart out without him dying...”

I smile. “You haven't seen it all yet, Zoro-ya.” After all this time, what I can do thanks to the Ope-Ope no Mi seems normal to me, but I find it fun when other people discover some of my abilities. 

I take one last look at the woman, she must have put Smoker's heart back in place but she doesn't look like she's going to move, still kneeling next to him who hasn't regained consciousness yet. I get on the bike, Zoro takes place behind me and we leave to join the others.

****

~O~

****

****  


Chopper, Brook, Franky, Robin, Usopp and I arrive in view of the elevator, and thus our exit door fairly quickly and safely. The elevator is usually not heavily guarded, only a small group of guards make sure that everyone going up and down is checked, but nothing more.

Given the current situation I still find it curious we haven't passed many guards on the road. A part of those in pursuit of us are probably still being held by Rayleigh but still... and I quickly understand why it was so quiet as we were driving through the city. A huge group is blocking our way and I am beginning to fear we will never manage to get out of here. 

We stop a few hundred feet ahead to think about what to do when an engine noise is heard a little further on.

“Oiiiii! Guys!” It's Luffy and Nami, who have finally joined us passing I don't know where and they stop at our level with a big smile on their face.

“Where are Zoro and Tra-o?” he asks looking around.

“They stayed to take care of Smoker and the others who followed us so we could leave,” I answer. 

I raise my eyes to the road we took in the hope of seeing them appear but the street is deserted and no engine noise announces they are approaching. I know they are fine, but I can't help but worry. I didn't infiltrate a lab to free one and get bitten by an Infected to protect the other so they'd get caught now...

“Maybe we should go back and see if they're fine and help them...” Brook suggests as he looks at me.

“No need," Luffy says with a big smile. “I'm sure they'll be here soon!” 

I nod but instead of getting off his bike, he makes the engine roar and immediately sets off again towards the elevator at full speed as it descends with another group of guards on board.

“You coming?” he shouts while Nami begs him to turn back. 

“I can't believe it... why does he always have to do something like that?” Usopp complains as he gets back on one of the bikes.

I sigh and join him to follow our leader. The guards go down, then when they see us coming they start to move into position to intercept us. Luffy gets up and stands on the saddle of his motorbike, forcing Nami to take the handlebars so they don't crash into a wall before jumping off the vehicle to throw a huge fist into the crowd, laughing. 

This way he ejects most of them and we can take care of the others in just a few minutes. Robin and Chopper enter the wide space of the elevator and block it before it goes up and prevents us from escaping for good. I think it's more of a sort of huge steel and wooden goods lift than an elevator, it can surely lift two buses the size of the Sunny and in one corner is a big metal lever, which is used to move the platform.

With the lift held, there's nothing stopping us from getting out, all we have to do now is wait for Zoro and Law to join us. Luffy and I wait in front of them while the others are already inside with the bikes. So we stay a few minutes waiting, surrounded by the characteristic silence of the night, only disturbed by a few groans of pain from the few guards who haven't been knocked out.

“Do you think they got into trouble?” Usopp asks after a while.

“They're fighting against Smoker,” Nami adds. “It's normal they take more time...”

“Maybe they got caught... or worse...”

“No,” I declare, turning to him. “They'll be here soon...”

A moment later, distant engine noises are heard. A cloud of dust rises far ahead, Luffy jumps on an adjacent roof to see what it is so I follow him. In the distance I end up seeing Law and Zoro on their bike, and what follows them... behind them must be at least a hundred guards in jeeps and motorbikes. Some shoot them and Zoro is turned back to protect their progression while Law slaloms to dodge most of the attacks.

“We're going to have a problem,” I say, starting to think fast. 

Because of its size and weight, the elevator platform is quite slow to move so with all these people behind them we don't have time to get up before they catch up to us. 

“Oi Mugiwara-ya, Sanji-ya!” Law shouts while they're still a good hundred yards away, but I have a little trouble hearing it because of the noise of the vehicles. “Start the elevator!”

I see Zoro turning towards him, I can't hear what he's saying but it looks like he's yelling at him. I obey immediately and order the others to start the elevator while running towards them with Luffy.

“We're going up!”

They have a moment of doubt but seeing what is coming they don't lose a second to pull the lever and I arrive on the platform with Luffy just before the doors close and the machine starts to go up. I was wondering how the other two are going to join us when I see the almost transparent bubble indicating Law created a Room. I'm not surprised to see them right next to me a second later even if we're about fifty feet high. 

“We barely made it,” Usopp sighs as he slides down to the floor.

“We're not out of troubles yet," Nami tells him.

Down below I see all the guards stopping and looking up at us, helpless. Some keep shooting at us, hoping to reach us but the bullets ricochet against the structure so we have a few minutes of calm before reaching the top, where other problems surely await us. 

I look up at Law and smile. He has a few scratches and his jacket is torn in places but he is fine. I feel like an idiot for worrying about him, he's not a fragile person to protect... but I can't help it, I want to take care of the people I love.

So I take advantage of these few minutes to calm down and take a breather while the city moves further and further away under our feet until it disappears and is replaced by a wall of earth, plunging us into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how it goes, I hope you liked this chapter and have a good day, night or whatever moment it is for you and see you for the next chapter x)   
> Bye~


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!   
> Hey i just realized, it's been a bit over 6 months since I started to post this fic so I wanted to thank again everyone reading it, leaving kudos, bookmarks and comments on it! :D  
> Thank you guys! Here's chapter 29~

The atmosphere is heavy during our ascent. We know there will be guards to greet us once we reach the top, but we managed the hardest part by getting to this lift and we are lucky it cannot be controlled other than with this lever.

Now all we have to do is make our way to the exit of the tunnel that awaits us and go through the security barriers. After that, it's unlikely that anyone will follow us outside and even if they do, there must not be many guards reckless enough to risk being killed by Infected just to stop us from leaving. 

When a little bit of light comes over us everyone gets ready and gets on the bikes again to get away as fast as possible. The huge platform stops a moment later and immediately noises reach us on the other side of the wooden and metal panel that serves as a door. 

With a nod we quickly agree to go, the engines start to roar and at the same time Luffy inflates one of his fists and knocks into the wood, breaking it into a thousand pieces and clearing the way behind it while we all leave at the same time. We pass about fifteen guards, half of whom have been thrown to the ground by Luffy's attack, and run away without looking back. 

We get outside in a few seconds and the cold is even more biting than the last time I went out, an icy wind whips my face, forcing me to squint my eyes to see clearly. My bike slips on the ground and I nearly send Usopp and I head first into the powder snow. I can hear Luffy and Zoro laughing behind my back but I just give the latter a black look without adding anything, it's not the time for our usual bickering. 

In front of us stands the first door to go through, so the Marimo starts to draw his swords to take care of it, even if I'm not happy to destroy the protection grid every time we leave Grand Line.

“Let me, Zoro-ya,” Law calls at the same time. “I'll take care of it, just keep moving forward without slowing down.”

He nods and puts away his weapons as we keep getting closer and closer to the huge metal gate, guards right behind us. I'm starting to worry we're going to run into it when Law moves us to the other side making a Room appear at the last moment and then he does the same for the second door, leaving the guards behind. I even hear some of them braking hard so they don't rush into it.

Immediately, it's as if a weight leaves my chest, I'm relieved we're finally outside and despite the cold I'm happy to be out at last. I missed the fresh air during all the time I was forced to stay at the bar. Luffy gives a shout of joy as we move away to head for the Sunny and be definitely out of danger. 

We find it intact where we left it when we arrived, it seems that nothing or nobody has found it but Franky goes around the vehicle to make sure. He then stows the bikes in the hold of the bus with a system he has apparently planned for a long time and everyone gets in, we are all relieved to be home in one way. 

The bus starts a few seconds later and we finally get away from Grand Line, not knowing again how long it will take us to get back. Usopp is right, it wouldn't be bad if we could leave town properly next time... being mistaken for a criminal in this way quickly becomes a burden.

Inside, Law is sitting alone on one of the benches, facing Chopper and Nami so I go and slip in beside him naturally. Our thighs barely touch, he grabs my hand under the table and intertwines his fingers to mine without stopping chatting with our friends, as if it was the most normal thing. His hand is cold and yet in my frozen fingers it feels like it's radiating an insane heat against my skin, it's a pleasant sensation. With a smile on my face, I begin to listen to their conversation without taking part in it.

“What are we going to do now?” Usopp asks when he comes to sit next to me.

“As usual,” Nami answers, shrugging. “If that's okay with you, Luffy.”

“Yeah!” he nods, lying on the bench behind us.

“Okay, but... what are we going to search for, now? I mean... we don't need to look for where the Infected came from or how to get rid of them since we already know all that...”

No one answers him, but he's not entirely wrong. Now that we know all this, I feel a bit like everything we're going to do from now on loses its meaning, the Mercenaries' goal is to find answers to the mystery of the Infected, so since we already have those answers...

“It's not like we were really doing this before we found out where these monsters come from and all the shit they caused,” Zoro comments, sighing from the other end of the bus.

“We're gonna do exactly what we did before," Luffy adds, straightening up. “We're gonna explore new places every time and maybe we'll discover some interesting things!”

That answer seems to suit Usopp because he starts to smile. “You're right! We are adventurers!”

So we continue on our way for the rest of the night towards the North-East, we have never been very far in that direction but according to rumours there are not that many monsters in this area. I'm not sure what we'll be looking for and especially what we'll find there but it's not very important. I'm surrounded by my friends and I have the person I love by my side, I have everything I need to be happy, no matter where we go or what we do.

We take a break in the early afternoon as Franky is getting tired before we get back on the road a little later. As we stop for the night, Nami goes up with Brook and Usopp and they start to make noise in the dormitory but I seem to be the only one wondering what they are doing at such an hour.

“Nami-san, what's going on up there?” I ask, going up the stairs.

“Nothing!” The redhead shouts out, suddenly making even more noise. “Don't come in Sanji-kun!"

Surprised, I stop anyway as the knocking and whispering starts and go back down, although I'd like to know what they're doing. All this noise doesn't even seem to bother the others, like I'm the only one who doesn't know what's going on. Even Law doesn't look interested, though chances are he's just not as curious as I am. After a few minutes the three of them come back down as if nothing had happened and start a discussion with Chopper and Robin without worrying about the questioning glance I give them. 

Shortly afterwards, exhausted by last night, which wasn't the most restful, and this day of travel I smoke a last cigarette outside then go up to bed before the others, wishing them a good night. I notice Nami's little smile but I know I won't know anything unless she wants me to so I don't pay too much attention to it and go up the stairs leading to my bed. 

The only problem is when I enter our dormitory I don't see my bed, and after a quick count I only see eight of the ten supposed to be in the room, Law's bed has also disappeared. I start to fear the worst when at the back of the room I notice a curtain that wasn't there before, separating part of the space. 

Pushing it I find the two missing beds. They managed to weld them together to make a big one, which they then pushed against the wall of the bus. I was still looking at it and chuckling when Nami then passes her head in the entrance of the room with a big smile, and I quickly understand this is what they were tinkering with earlier.

“Do you like it?” she asks. “The bus isn't that big and you can't really do better than that, but we thought that maybe you and Law would like to have... well, some privacy, even if it's not much...”

“No, it's perfect, it's nice of you,” I smile. “You didn't have to go to any trouble for us...”

“You bet we didn't. We just moved your beds and Usopp put up a curtain... Don't worry Sanji-kun, everyone's happy about it. We're a family, we take care of each other!”

I laugh seeing her look so determined and smile back, then I walk over to give her a hug. “Thank you, Nami-san.” I let her go a short while later and she comes back down with the others, leaving me alone. I was a bit disappointed thinking that once we got back on the road I couldn't feel Law near me during the night... but I didn't think of doing that. I thought I could come and share his bed when I miss that feeling too much but the beds are not very wide so it's better that way. I turn off the lamp in the corner of the room and get ready to go to sleep when someone comes into the room.

“So that's what they were preparing.”

I turn to Law leaning against the entrance with his arms folded and an amused smile on his face. “It seems to be,” I respond, repressing a yawn.

“I think this is a very good idea.”

I nod and turn to the bed again, then draw the dark curtain and happily slouch on the mattress before folding the blankets over me, knowing Law will join me. He slips in beside me a few seconds later and puts his arms around my waist to pull me against him, gently kissing my cheek. I snuggle up a little more against him and fall asleep quickly.

**~O~**

During the following days, the Thousand Sunny continues its route without having a very precise goal, we even pass a few dozen miles from the city we visited weeks ago but nobody wants to linger there again so we continue eastward to avoid it.

We don't know exactly where we are going but little by little the landscape starts to change and the temperature gets gradually more freezing, there is even more snow on the ground and we're reaching a mountainous area, which doesn't make our progression easy. It's been a while since we saw a road worthy of the name and we have had to turn back several times to take a different route because we were blocked but according to Nami's maps we should end up coming across an old town in the middle of these mountains.

Almost two weeks after we left Grand Line we are still in the middle of nowhere. We passed through several old villages or other places interesting enough that they deserve we stop and so we searched on our way but nothing very conclusive in the end. We hang out in this area because we are not in a hurry, we take our time. I don't know if we are that far away from the rest of humanity but I doubt many people have set foot here in the last hundred years. There are a few small packs of Infected but nothing very dangerous, they are just a few old wild animals and there is no sign of human monsters or any group of Mercenaries.

It's dark now but according to Nami we are very close to this city, she doesn't want us to stop before we find it so she can be sure to visit it the next day. Usopp and Chopper are already sleeping on the table in front of them while Luffy is on the roof despite the cold and wind to see when we will reach our destination. 

Robin, Sanji, Brook and I are chatting over a cup of coffee, Zoro is sitting alone in his corner sharpening his blades and Franky is at the wheel with Nami at his side, a map of the surroundings on her laps. We start to get a bit tired but finally Luffy's voice shouting that he sees something gives everyone a bit of energy. 

Franky stops the bus a few seconds later and we can finally get out. The wind is strong but it's not as cold as I thought and especially not as cold compared to what we've experienced these last few days but the temperature didn't matter compared to the view we have.

We are at the top of a cliff, no trees obstructing the panorama in front of us and several hundred yards below we can see the ruins of a big city. Several skyscrapers are beginning to be very damaged by the weather and time but still stand proudly below us and the snow layer shines under the moonlight in an almost unreal way. 

Above us the sky is almost completely clear and only the sound of the wind in the tree branches can be heard. All this atmosphere is soothing, there doesn't appear to be a single Infected in the area and this view gives me a little idea, I quickly spot the highest building and plan to observe it a little closer the next day.

“It's beautiful,” Chopper lets escape, now wide awake.

I nod without looking away from the city and we all stay there, admiring the view for a few minutes before finally getting back to the warmth of the bus for the night. 

The next day at dawn, even Luffy is already awake, too excited about the exploration we are going to do, so we can get on the bikes and leave quickly. We ride down the mountain side quickly, Luffy barely avoids hitting a tree and taking Usopp, hanging on to him, into the scenery but nobody seems surprised so I suspect it may have happened before, it wouldn't surprise me that much.

Once in the city, the high mountains and the buildings around us make me feel tiny and the silence is impressive, apart from the noise of our engines I can't hear anything and everything seems to be frozen. Although I find it strange, it's nice that there are no creatures around. I'm not used to seeing such a quiet environment so far from the city, but I like it.

We take most of the day to wander around the city. It's huge but thanks to our vehicles we are much more efficient than before in our search and I can see now why the whole group was so excited to have bikes back, it was definitely an asset. 

In spite of that, we didn't find much of interest, a few useful items for Franky or Usopp but nothing more. We're years behind schedule to hope for a chance to find anything edible or usable medicines so anyway there's not much more to find. It is mainly for this reason that I quickly learned to make my own remedies. 

A little disappointed by our meager finds, we return to the Sunny at the end of the evening, but before entering I raise my eyes to the sky out of habit and remain amazed for a few seconds in front of what I see. Above us there is not a single cloud and the moon isn't full so I can clearly see an incredible number of stars. I smile, I can't dream of a better night. 

“Hey Nami-ya,” I call before she gets on the bus after the others.

“Yes?” she answers, turning to me.

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Sure, what do you need?”

“Nothing much, don't worry.”

She seems curious, so I signal her to follow me a little aside so that no one hears what I have to ask her, I want it to be a surprise.

**~O~**

Looking out of the bus window I notice Law and Nami talking outside but I can't hear what they are saying. Nami smiles and shakes her head from time to time but although I'm curious to know what they're talking about, I go and sit next to Franky, thinking that if they're talking in a low voice it's because they don't want us to hear anyway. Nami then comes in with us and winks at Law, entering right after her, before he goes up but when I get up to follow him Nami stops me, grabbing my arm.

“Sanji-kun,” she says. “Can you help me?”

“Uh... yes, of course Nami-san,” I answer, taking a last look at the stairs. “Anything you need.”

She drags me outside and tells me she lost a bracelet so I start searching with her by the light of a lamp in the grass and bushes a bit away from the bus. I see her gaze turning to it every once in a while so I wonder if she really has lost something or if she is just trying to keep me away from the Sunny for a while. I'm getting used to her little secrets and I'm sure it's another one.

“Ah," she exclaims after several minutes. “That's it, I've got it! Thanks for your help, Sanji-kun!”

“Um, you're welcome...”

She runs away almost as soon as I get up, not really understanding what just happened. I walk to the bus too and see Law in front of it. He is holding one of the bikes and seems to be waiting for me, a smile on his face and a huge backpack on the ground next to him. “Here you are at last," he says as he gets on the bike and starts the engine.

“I guess Nami-san had to keep me away from the bus while you prepare all this, huh?” I say, standing in front of him.

“That's right. You're too curious for your own good so I needed a little help preparing for our date.”

“A date?” I'm surprised, it's the first time of my life someone invites me on a date.

He nods, still smiling. “Come on, get in.”

I smile back before I get in behind him. He then asks me to take the bag for the ride and I press myself against his back, my arms around his waist as he drives off.

“Where are we going?” I ask when we take the road to the city below.

“You'll see.”

I don't get any other answer so I just let myself be carried along, not being able to stop smiling and wondering what he has planned. It's been two weeks since we've been back on the surface, and two weeks since we've had a moment alone. I feel a bit selfish thinking that, but I'm starting to miss it.

We cross the city driving quite slowly and without saying a word, then Law stops at the bottom of a huge building that I recognize because we quickly searched it during the day and then he cuts the engine and asks me to get off. He takes the bag from my shoulders and drags me inside, taking my hand and we start to go up. 

It's easy at first because the stairs are still in relatively good condition but the higher we go the more complicated it gets, some steps are broken, parts of the stairs are sometimes missing or are blocked by debris from higher floors until finally we find ourselves climbing to continue our ascent. I'm getting more and more curious as to why he's taking me up there but I trust him and we finally have a moment alone together so I'm willing to let myself be dragged along quietly.

We are more than three hundred feet above the ground and at this height, the broken windows and holes in the structure of the building mean there is sometimes snow or ice and we miss slipping or tripping several times but we keep going up. I wonder how far he plans to climb like this but I guess he wants to reach the roof, so I follow him without question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our two boys are on a date for the next chapter!  
> I hope you liked this one and until next time, take care! :)


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!   
> Here's the date! :)  
> Enjoy~

We finally reach the roof, a little out of breath but I'm glad we made it here. Law takes my hand back in his and I am surprised it is so warm when it is so cold tonight. We move towards the edge and I see the whole city stretching out below us. Everything is bathed in the faint moonlight, reflected off the thick white layer convering every surface that gives everything a slight glow while an unusual silence reigns all around. 

Law lets go of my hand but I keep looking at the ruins, wondering what kind of life the people who lived there were leading. I begin to imagine what the city could have looked like when the buildings were in good condition, all full of light, people and noise, in contrast to the calm prevailing today. 

I quickly realize we are on the highest building and from here I can even see the dim light of the bus lost in the mountains in front of me. I don't know how long I stay like this contemplating the landscape but I then hear Law's voice calling me.

“Sanji-ya, come over here," he says.

I turn to him and find him sitting on a thick, wide blanket on the ground. He has cleared the snow from around where he put it and is unfolding some more, which he has just taken out of the bag, now much smaller and lying next to him. He invites me again to join him with a nod so I sit down beside him and he covers me with one of the blankets before lying down. I imitate him and he pulls me near him then seeing his gaze is turned toward the sky, I do the same.

I have never really taken the time to look at the night sky and only then do I realize how much of a mistake I have made. Since the sky is completely clear and the moon isn't full its light doesn't obscure that of the stars, which allows us to observe an infinite number of them above our heads. I can see hundreds, maybe even thousands of constellations whose names I don't know or are certainly forgotten for years, and this spectacle is so beautiful it leaves me speechless. 

I learned years ago that when humans were still living on the surface before the Infected appeared, people had trouble seeing the sky like this, the cities were creating too much stray light for them to observe the stars anywhere as we do now, and I realize they were really missing something great.

We stay a long time like this just looking at the sky and I don't dare to break the silence, I don't want to end the magic moment we share. I didn't think I'd ever been so serene as now, huddled in blankets with Law on the roof of a building in an abandoned city. He doesn't do things by halves when he's organizing dates. To tell the truth, I never imagined I would date anyone in this messed up world, the situation seems unreal to me and yet it must be one of the best moments of my life.

“We used to look up at the sky almost every nights when I was with my friends," Law says suddenly in a calm voice.

I take my eyes away from my contemplation and turn them towards him. “Really?”

He nods softly. “Yes.”

“Will you tell me about them?” I ask a moment later.

He seems to hesitate for a few seconds and I almost regret asking. I'm afraid I embarrassed him, but finally he speaks again. “At first there were only three of us," he begins. “Shachi and Penguin were the first and best friends I ever had. We met almost fifteen years ago in Grand Line, in one of the old northern neighborhoods where we lived. We were still just kids but we dreamed of going to the surface to see the world, so we started training to become Mercenaries.”

Listening to him talk I quickly understand he is telling me his story and I can feel the hint of nostalgia in his voice. I am happy to learn more about him, I want to know what was his life like before we met so I don't interrupt him.

“At the time we didn't know yet that only people who mastered Haki could become real ones, of course, but being a Mercenary meant freedom for us so we were working hard. Finally after a few years the three of us succeeded and as soon as we could we left Grand Line together.”

As he speaks I imagine him much younger with his two friends, training like madmen to be able to step on the ground above Grand Line and see the outside world. Not many people dream of that, most are too scared of getting killed to enjoy the surface and want to go there but for me it's worth risking your life and obviously Law feels the same way.

“As you can imagine, three fifty years old lone new Mercenaries wouldn't last long against a group of Infected, yet we weren't afraid, we were so excited about the idea of finally being out in the open air that we thought of nothing else.” He pauses a few seconds, probably remembering how it was then. “The first night we spent outside... I think I'll remember it for the rest of my life. When I looked up and saw the stars for the first time instead of the ceiling, I thought that life was much more beautiful on the surface. We admired the stars until daylight came up and they disappeared, it was what we dreamed of.”

I look up at the sky again myself and I understand how he felt like. The first time I set foot on the surface I was a little nervous of course, but I also felt an incredible sense of freedom, the world seemed so vast and the sky so far away that I almost felt dizzy. At that moment I remember wondering how I could have spent so many years underground, without seeing it all. Of course you can see the sky from Grand Line through the hole in the earth's ceiling, but that's not the same, this little piece of unattainable blue is nothing like what we're looking at right now.

“You were just the three of you for a long time?” I ask.

“Not that long, after a few months we picked up a huge white dog with a leg injury and I treated him back to health. We called him Bepo and he started following us. Then, as we were moving away from the city we came across small groups or loners, survivors of larger groups that had been attacked by Infected so they joined us and at that time we still sometimes went back to Grand Line regularly. Someone wanted to come with us from time to time.”

“How many were you in the end?”

“Twenty, but the only Mercenaries were Shachi, Penguin and me.” I hear a hint of pride when he says it. “We were in charge of protecting everyone so we always had to be on the lookout but we liked it. After a while we stopped going to Grand Line more than once a year, we even went three years without going back once. We were just living our lives, we weren't interested in finding information about the Infected. We were strong enough despite the fact that there were only three of us Mercenaries, so we just killed the monsters we came across on our way.”

He pauses for a moment, as if he was immersed in his memories and as I look up at him I see a smile on his lips, he surely remembers some good times. He then lowers his eyes on me and hold me a little closer to him before speaking again, his voice slightly tinged with sadness.

“We lived like this for ten years, with no one to tell us what to do, following our own rules until... until we met a Human Infected three months ago.”

I feel a weight falling in my stomach as I understand what he's talking about and what it involves. His tone has changed and even without looking up at his face I know his smile has faded. He takes a few seconds before going on.

“You never insisted on knowing what happened to them," he says, tightening his grip around me again. “And after everything that happened I feel like I owe it to you, because it's thanks to you that I'm slowly getting over it.”

“I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything,” I say.

“No, I want to.”

****

~O~

****

**  
**

I sigh. Even if I thought I was able to talk to Sanji about this, I still have a hard time getting started. Since it happened I try every moment not to think about it and today I'm getting back into it on purpose. I raise my head to the starry sky above us to give me strength while searching for my words. 

“That day... I wasn't far from our camp with five of my comrades,” I start as the images of that day begin to flood into my mind, vivid as if it had just happened. “Shachi and Penguin weren't there and it was raining, so I was the only one who could detect if we were walking into trouble. We had already passed several Infected so I didn't want to linger, but all of a sudden I started hearing grunts.”

I take a break and tighten my grip around Sanji's arm in spite of myself, I need it to feel he's with me. I remember these events as if they happened yesterday, all the images are clear in my mind as well as the sensations I felt at that moment. The rain falling on my face, my voice as I tell my friends not to hang around to join the others as fast as possible...

“I didn't know what it was,” I resume. “I thought it was a creature like the ones we've seen hundreds of times before, but what came out of the trees was a Human Infected. We had come across a few over the years and always managed to avoid them, but this one was too close. I knew I had to defend us that day, otherwise my friends would die. So I fought him with the others and we managed to kill him. Everyone seemed to be fine so we went home, but...”

Sanji must've figured out what happened next but he didn't interrupt me. As I look at him I notice he looks down at the town with a sad look on his face so I continue, trying to keep an even tone.

“One of us had been bitten by the Infected but I didn't know that at the time, he knew very well what it meant but he was probably afraid to tell me and I didn't see anything. I know that I should have checked,” I continue, swallowing the anger I have towards myself coming back to the surface. “We went back to the camp and went on with our lives as if nothing had happened, the one who had been bitten stayed in his tent but eveything seemed normal so I thought he was just tired and I didn't go to see him... if I had done so, the others would probably still be alive today.”

I am now unable to hold back the stream of words that passes my lips, I want it to be over as fast as possible and in my head everything is happening in a hurry as I tell what happened to Sanji that night, the night I lost everything.

“Two days later during the night, I remember being woken up by screams. When I came out of my tent I saw one of my friends throwing himself on an Infected to protect another and get killed right in front of us. I shouted at the others to run away, but it all happened so fast... Infected animals came and invaded the camp, I couldn't do anything... I was paralyzed while my friends were dying all around me.” 

My eyes start to sting and my throat burns as I remember it all, but I clear my throat to finish my story. I promised Sanji I would talk to him about all this and now that I've started I can't stop, I probably won't have the courage to do it again if I don't.

“When I finally moved again, I tried to protect them by killing the weaker monsters... but it was already too late for most of them and when I saw Shachi's body I- I thought I was gonna lose my mind. The Infected who did this threw himself on me... I just heard Penguin warning me before he came between us to protect me and got bitten instead of me.”

I stop for a second and looking back I feel bad, that image will probably haunt me for the rest of my life, the one I already see in my nightmares. The memory of my dead friends in front of me, the friends that I couldn't protect. I collapsed when I saw Penguin fall to the ground bleeding to death and anger had overwhelmed me. I remember throwing myself at the creature to avenge my friends but he got me before I touched him ... 

“That monster bit me but I managed to kill it,” I conclude. “Even if I had to die I wanted to at least take it with me and that's when I recognized it... After that I abandoned the camp and managed to drag myself to an old shack waiting to see if I would join my friends or turn into a monster too.”

As soon as I stop talking all my guilt fall on me without warning. I tell myself I should have been more careful. If I had paid more attention to my comrades I would have seen something was wrong, I would have seen one of them was injured and I could have prevented this disaster but I was stupid and they all died because of me. Even Bepo and the two best friends I ever had were sacrificed because of my lack of discernment while I'm still here.

My vision is blurred and my thoughts are racing through my head but I don't want to cry. I try to push away this feeling of emptiness that wants to take its place in my chest and hold back my tears as best as I can while staring at the snow in front of me, forgetting Sanji's presence by my side. The panic is rising, I feel like I'm reliving all this: I hear the screams, I smell blood and I am unable to regain my calm or breathe porperly.

Suddenly I feel a reassuring warmth on my cheek and it takes me several seconds to understand it's Sanji's hand and he is looking at me. He doesn't say anything but his gentle look and warmth are enough to bring me back to the present moment and to calm me down a little then I focus on his heartbeat to calm mine. I didn't even notice my heart was racing and I wouldn't be able to tell how long we stay like this before one of us move.

After that he takes me in his arms and starts whispering reassuring words near my ear. “It's okay, Law. You're here.” I start thinking back to the words he said to me a few weeks before. He thought I deserved to be happy despite what I had done, and for this and everything he did for me so far I know I can trust him, and that's why I was able to tell him all this. 

While still holding him close to me, I raise my eyes to the sky and allow myself to remember the smiling faces of my friends, all the years we trained and helped each other, all the good times I had with them and especially all the nights we spent admiring this same sky until morning. Never again will I be able to live such moments with them, but I will never forget the ones I had. I will remember them and love them until I die but I will move forward, definitely. At this thought it is as if a weight left my chest, I feel relieved but also suddenly sad.

“I miss them,” I finally let go, burying my face in Sanji's shoulder.

“I know,”

Then I realize until today I've never cried for my friends. Maybe I was too shocked and in a second state the first few days, then I met the Mugiwara group. After that I started to think about all sorts of things and my journey with them hasn't been easy but I haven't shed a single tear for them, except maybe when I wake up from one of my nightmares. 

I've held out until now but I can't anymore. My throat tightens again, my eyes burn but this time I don't hold back my tears from flowing, I let them slide down my cheeks one after the other. 

****

~O~

****

**  
**

Law still hugs me, I feel him crying silently against me and I don't dare to move, I don't know what to do to relieve him. It must have been a torture for him to go back into all those memories to tell me what happened and just imagining it makes me feel terrible. My chest and throat are tight but I don't want to say anything and I want to leave him getting all this out for as long as he needs. 

All this time he has been carrying this guilt and I have been wondering since the day I met him what happened but today I understand why he feels so guilty. And I am also convinced none of this was really his fault. He's certainly thinking he could have avoided everything by checking the condition of his companion after his fight against the first Infected, that his group would still be there with him but he is not responsible. There are many people who have died or transformed as a result of a bite because they were afraid of dying and didn't dare to tell anyone. Law is human, he can't take responsibility for all this on his shoulders.

Eventually he releases me and I meet his eyes. Seeing his expression I feel as if he could burst into tears again at any moment so I try to reassure him with a look. He seems so fragile, like he could break if I hold him too tight, I am not used to seeing him so vulnerable.

“I'm sorry I spoiled our date with all this," he says with a little smile.

“You didn't spoil anything,” I respond, gently taking his face in my hands. “You definitely didn't.”

His smile widens a little and he sighs. After a few seconds he ends up lying down so I do as him and put my head next to his to observe the sky again while holding his hand in mine. 

Strangely, now that Law has told me all this I feel like the stars are brighter, the dark blue of the sky deeper and all even more beautiful than a few minutes before, as if thanks to him my view of things has changed. We stay like this for a long time, talking about our lives, the places we've been and others things about our friends then keep quiet again. I don't know if only minutes or hours have passed when Law breaks the silence once more but the moon is lower in the sky.

“Thank you for listening to me earlier Sanji-ya," he says, turning his head towards me.

“That's what I'm here for,” I answer with a wink.

“Yeah... you are, but not only this.” He starts smiling and straightens up a little to come and kiss me gently. 

My eyes close by themselves so I better appreciate his lips on mine and I feel his hand caressing my cheek. At first tender he becomes more and more fiery, or desperate. He began to bite soflty my lower lip in the middle of his kisses and finally come caressing my tongue with his. Almost immediately I feel a pleasant heat rising inside me and lodging in my stomach, my hands move as if by automatism to cling to the collar of his jacket then pass through his hair or around his neck to bring him as close to me as I could. 

In spite of the winter temperature around us, Law's body against mine and the blankets are making me warmer and warmer so I push them away to breathe better. At the same time I feel a cool wind caressing my chest and I realize the buttons on my shirt are opening one by one but before I can make any comments I feel Law's mouth against my throat and his fingers on my stomach. 

“I love you," he whispers against my skin, moving closer to my ear to bite on the lobe. 

A smile stretches my lips and a shiver runs across my skin, I know where it all leads and my desire for him climbs even higher when he repeats these words. I let him do when he undoes my belt buckle and also when he slides my pants down my legs. I do the same for his clothes and shudder with pleasure when he touches my thigh with his fingertips, brushing against the scar on my skin. He kisses me again, again and again and I let myself be carried away by his caresses under the starry sky, on the roof of a building and in a city where there is only us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I just wanted it cute then I thought "Backstory time" and it ended up with Sanji comforting Law x)  
> Hope you liked it, and see you next week!


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooo! I hope you're doing fine, here's chapter 31!  
> Enjoy~

On the way up here I didn't necessarily plan to stay until morning but in the end it was probably one of the best nights I've ever spent. Admiring the stars with Sanji brought back a lot of good memories, although I probably looked at his happy face more often when his eyes were turned towards the sky rather than the sky itself. 

I'm relieved to have been able to talk about what happened, I'm not going to forget all this and live happily free of guilt because I finally let go of what was on my heart but it feels good to know Sanji knows what happened too. 

Thanks to him, I managed to forget everything that goes wrong in this world for one night and I had a great time. No more monsters, no more deaths, just him and me.

The sun has just risen but it's not yet visible behind the mountains. I look at Sanji, his head on my arm, and pull the blanket up over his shoulders. Surprisingly I slept well and the cold wasn't a problem but it's going to be time to go back to the others, I told Nami we'll be back in the night so maybe they're starting to worry. I love watching Sanji sleep peacefully but it's time to wake him up.

“Sanji-ya,” I whisper as I run my free hand over his face.

He frowns as he wags his eyebrows and huddles a little more against me to keep sleeping but he's gonna have to get up. His reaction makes me smile and I keep trying to shake him out of bed gently but he doesn't seem to want to get up anytime soon.

“Just five more minutes," he mumbles.

I shake my head, amused, and decide to go to great lengths to force him to move. I grab a corner of the blanket and pull it suddenly, letting the cold air caress our skins. It's not very pleasant but at least it has the merit of being effective, Sanji opens his eyes in one go and stands up looking at me with a betrayed look to grab his shirt and jacket that are lying next to him with a sigh. 

I take something to eat for breakfast out of the bag and hand it to him then pick up all our things to put them back in the bag so we can go home. I take one last look at the city below and then head for the door. The descent is a little less complicated than the ascent so we reach the ground again a few minutes later, then we take the bike back to the bus. 

On the way we both stay quiet but I don't mind, I just feel the pressure of Sanji's body behind me and that's enough for me. 

“That's where the others are, isn't it?” he asks after a while, pointing to the mountain in front of us.

I look up in the direction he's pointing, maybe two miles away, where a cloud of smoke rises up to the sky. I frown, it's right next to the bus indeed, and I doubt the others have decided to light a fire, something is wrong. 

“Yes, let's hurry.”

I speed up to get back to the Sunny as quickly as possible, wondering what could have happened. As we get closer, I start hearing sounds of fighting, the voices of some of our friends but also the voices of others. We are approaching the clearing where the bus is stopped when I see a group of armed men going in the same direction as us. We pass them quickly and I stop the motorbike to block the road and prevent them from going further, I don't have my sword but with Sanji we are certainly not going to have any trouble dealing with them.

They all stop in their movement when they see us and point their guns at us without hesitation.

“They are part of the Mugiwara!” A man shouts. “Kill them!”

I make a Room appear to deflect their bullets and run in their direction with Sanji, we get rid of them without any problem and then get back on our bike to join the rest of the group.

“How did those bastards find us?” Sanji growls behind me.

“I have no idea.”

“Maybe we should have asked them.”

“Yeah... if you hadn't sent them all out to kiss a tree or a rock...”

I can hear him laughing softly but he's still worried, and so am I. We're a long way from Grand Line and it's been days since we should be able to pass anyone so I wonder where those guards are from, they never get this far from town normally. 

When we get to the clearing the others have apparently finished fighting, there are dozens of people on the ground, stunned or dead, I don't know, and in the middle of it all are our friends. Smoke is still there, blown away by the wind and I notice grenades on the ground, I understand then that what we saw on the road was smoke that the guards threw.

“Sanji, Tra-o you're here!” Luffy exclaims when he sees us.

“We were afraid something had happened to you!” Nami adds. “I'm glad you're okay.”

“What happened?” I ask, looking around.

“They came suddenly at dawn,” Zoro answers, wiping the blade of his katana on a guy's clothes on the ground. “They were looking for us, but I don't see how they could have followed us and found us here.”

We all remain silent for a few moments, not really knowing how to react. 

“We'd better get out of here quickly," Robin says. “Others could arrive at any moment.”

“Let's go!” Franky nods, already on his way to the bus.

We enter one after the other after having put the bike away with the others and take the road to get away from here. In the bus, I can see some of us look worried but this is not at all the case for Nami, who puts her chin on her crossed hands and turns her attention to me with a little smile.

“Did you have a good evening?” she asks.

“Yes,” I confess. 

“Going to the roof of a building, just the two of you to look at the stars... I didn't think you were so romantic,” she continues.

“Neither did I," I chuckle, I'd never thought I would want to do this for anyone. I guess Sanji changed something in me.

“Sanji-kun is lucky, I wish I could find a man like that too," she sighs with a false sense of desperation. “A handsome, romantic and rich man.”

“You'll eventually find someone who suits you Nami-ya,” I assure her with a smile. 

“Yes, I guess so...”

Her gaze lingers behind me for a few moments without her seeming to notice when she utters these words and as I follow it I see Luffy laughing out loud with the others at the back of the bus. When I turn towards her her attention is still turned toward them, she starts to blush when she notices my gaze and she turns away. 

I'm surprised to see her react like that and I don't understand what's causing it until I look at the group behind me again. I had never noticed before today she had this kind of look on her leader...

“I'm sure Mugiwara-ya could be romantic too,” I tease, focusing my attention on her.

“Huh? Luffy? I- no... what's it got to do with him?”

I raise an eyebrow, amused, and her cheeks turn a deep red tint, she looks a little panicked and now I'm sure I'm on to something. I wouldn't have bet on those two, but after all, why not? I find her reaction all the more funny since Sanji told me the kind of bet she makes with Robin and Brook.

She doesn't dare to show what she feels but for me, she should give it a try, her leader is not the perceptive type so if she doesn't go for it, it's certainly not him who will do something, even if he's interested.

“Don't make that face,” I resume. “You don't have to be ashamed of this kind of thing.”

“I'm not ashamed... and anyway there's nothing to be ashamed of... ah ah...”

“Don't waste time Nami-ya, you might regret it later.”

A new burst of Mugiwara's voice resounds at the same moment and with these words I get up and join the others at the back of the bus shaking my head gently, leaving her alone. I take a seat next to Sanji, who greets me with a smile as the bus continues its journey on the mountainsides.

We drive all day long without passing a single person, and I find this all the more strange as we still have no idea how the guards we met this morning could have bumped into us in such a remote area. 

At nightfall, we left the steepest mountains for the lower ones where the paths are a bit more passable and where we stop to take a break in a small clearing. After the dinner prepared by Sanji, we all stay together around the table to reflect.

“They can't have found us by chance," Zoro says, crossing his arms.

“They were looking for us,” I explain. “We came across a group before joining you, they recognized us immediately and attacked us.”

“They had orders to kill us on sight apparently,” Sanji adds, stubing out his cigarette in the ashtray in front of him.

“That doesn't tell us how they got there," Usopp sighs, putting his head on his crossed arms. “Couldn't they have planted a bug on the bus or one of us?”

“That's impossible, I checked the bus from every angle as soon as we got back there...” Franky intervenes. “I couldn't have missed anything.”

“By now I think we would have noticed if something had been put on one of us," Brook observes.

“Franky looked on the bus but no-one checked the bikes,” Chopper drops suddenly, frowning and looking worried.

Everybody takes a look at each other before getting up to go out and check out Chopper's hypothesis. On one hand I hope he's right because at least that would explain how the guards did it but on the other hand I prefere to think it was all luck, otherwise it means the World Government knew where we were since we left the city and I don't like it. So Franky takes the five bikes out of the hold of the bus and we start to observe every inch of it in the hope of finding something. I look all over one of them with Chopper but I don't see anything out of the ordinary and nobody seems to see anything either so I start to lose hope.

“I think I've found something," Robin says after a few moments.

Franky comes closer and takes a small metal object out from under the fender of the bike with a screwdriver and lifts it up in front of his eyes. He inspects it for a few seconds before confirming it is indeed a bug. I'm not sure when a guard got close enough to us to stick it on the bike, but because of that the World Government knows where we are at every moment since we left Grand Line, so our escape was not worth much. 

They piss me off. These bastards are hunting us like animals and would rather kill us because we know things they would rather we didn't than take responsibility for their actions... what would it be like if they found out that we visited Punk Hazard? Though... maybe they know, I wouldn't be surprised if someone kept an eye on this place.

“Throw that away, Franky!” Usopp exclaims. “If we keep this thing any longer, they'll keep following us!”

“No wait, we could use it instead,” Sanji intervenes, approaching him. 

“We're gonna get killed!” The other one insists.

“Think about it, now that we know how they found us, we know they can come anytime, no matter where we are, and we could even use it to our advantage.”

The others look at each other, seeming to doubt what he's saying, but I think I see where he's going with this. Those who follow us have no idea we know how they do it, which is good for us. We can very well lure them where we want them in this way and be ready to welcome those who may come. 

Franky slips the small object into his pocket and the others go back inside but Sanji lingers outside lighting a cigarette so I stay with him. We sit on the ground leaning against a tree and he looks up to the sky, putting his head against my shoulder. 

I follow his gaze and we stay like that for a few moments when, as usual, Luffy's voice is heard inside the bus, quickly followed by Nami's ordering him to lower his voice. Then I think back to the little conversation I had with the redhead earlier in the day.

“Sanji-ya, did you ever notice anything between Nami-ya and Mugiwara-ya?” I ask.

“What do you mean?”

“I have good reason to believe that Nami-ya is interested...”

He looks up at me in disbelief so I briefly tell him about my conversation with her.

“Nami-san and Luffy?” He's surprised, as I was when I understood this. “Seriously?”

I nod with a smile, amused while he still looks at me as if he's waiting for me to tell it's a joke, his cigarette burning itself on the corner of his lips. Apparently he's not the only one who wasn't expecting this kind of thing.

“Nami-san... I never thought,” he sighs. “But if she doesn't do it first nothing will ever happen. Luffy's an idiot, he doesn't see this kind of thing.”

“Indeed... he's not the most perceptive person I know. But do you think...?”

“I don't know, Luffy considers us all his family but somehow it's special between him and Nami-san so it's possible.”

After that we keep silent, I just enjoy his presence with me before getting back on the bus for the night. We get up but when I open the door unusual noises in the trees attract my attention so I freeze and Sanji must hear them too because he doesn't move either.

“Oi Luffy, Marimo come here," he says in a natural tone. 

Inside I hear the two of them coming down quickly but they don't ask any questions so they must have realized we have a problem. It didn't take long for the bastards to catch up with us. With a look Sanji indicates the direction of the guards to our two friends and they just nod, the others come down ready so I create a Room to make my weapon appear in my hand and get ready to fight.

****

~O~

****

**  
**

The four of us are heading towards the edge of the forest in front of us. I don't hear a sound anymore but we know there is something hidden behind the trunks and bushes and we are ready to face it.

Suddenly a bullet flies in our direction and just misses Luffy's head from a few inches, followed by a second one that passes between the Marimo and me and into a tree further away. Guards come out of their hiding places and start running towards us, their weapons out so we have no reason to hold back as they are obviously not there to talk. 

I hit the first guy that comes within my reach and send him on another one grunting in pain while the others defend themselves against their attackers. There are a lot of guards but they're not that strong and Usopp and the others have also got out of the bus to help us so we don't have too much trouble taking care of them.

The problem is that more and more of them are coming out of the forest and in the middle of all these guards I recognize the guy with pink hair who captured Law several weeks ago. In spite of myself I feel the anger rising when I see him, because of him I was shot and Law was treated like an animal and almost killed, it's partly his fault that all this is happening. I'm not going to let him get away with that. 

When he watches me approaching, sending his men to steal my way to him, I see his eyes tinged with fear and he takes several steps back to flee, so I conclude he recognized me as well, good. When I am close enough I send my foot into his stomach and hold him down for a few seconds, looking at him with hatred in my eyes without paying too much attention to what is going on around me, I know at least one of my comrades has an eye on me at all times and I am not risking much. 

“Please!" he cries, raising his hands in front of his face to protect himself, certainly thinking that I an going to kill him or at least hit him again. “Spare me! We're going to get out of here!”

“Oh, really ? You didn't let us off that easy when we asked you to and you took Law into that damn lab,” I spit.

“Please, please...”

“You know what? I've got some questions for you, depending on your answers I might not crush your skull against a rock.”

I'm not going to kill him though. I'm not going to stoop to that and he's not worth it but deep down I'm glad to see the look of terror on his face, he deserves it. I grab him by the collar of his jacket and drag him to a corner where I'm less likely to get something sliced or take a stray bullet. A few men who have seen their superior is in a bad position try to attack me but Franky is there to dissuade them with his flamethrower.

“Why did you come here?” I ask the man.

“Help!" he exclaims, trying to hold on to everything that comes within his reach, ignoring my question. 

“Why did you come here?” I repeat, by violently pressing him against a tree trunk.

“We have orders to find and kill the Mugiwara group, I couldn't disobey, I had no choice!”

“As if it would have made a difference that you have it,” I growl. “Who ordered you to come and hunt us down here? Who's so angry with us?!”

“I don't know! I'm just a lieutenant, I don't know the name of the high-ranking officer giving the orders, I just follow them! Please!”

This idiot is even worse than I thought, besides being a bastard he's just a sheep who follows questionnable orders blindly without even trying to find out where they come from. It makes me sick to think it's because of guys like him that we're in this kind of trouble. Unfortunately, from the look on his face he seems to be telling the truth. He's shaking like a leaf and trying to protect his face, as if he's afraid I'm going to punch him. I'm not going to get much more out of him.

Around me I notice the noise of the fights gradually dries up so I turn my head to see what's going on while still holding the other idiot. The guards have finally stopped coming out of everywhere and there are not many of them left standing, I see one of them getting hit by Nami's stick and collapsing to the ground before taking a blow in my face. 

I take a step back under the surprise and suddenly meet the less frightened look of the man with pink hair. I wipe my split lip as he comes towards me with his fist raised and tries to hit me again but I avoid him and kick him hard in the stomach. He bends in half and starts coughing. I hit him a second time, this time in the face, and knock him out. He fell to the ground, inert. I have nothing more to get out of him anyway then when he wakes up we'll be long gone and he'll probably have a big headache well deserved.

I then help the others, who finish taking care of the last remaining guards and we sit there not really knowing what to do once calm is restored. I see Law looking disgusted at the still inanimate pink-haired guy a little further away but he makes no comment on his presence here.

“So, what do we do now?” Usopp asks, putting his bow back on his back.

“We should move,” I answer. “More guards might come and if they realize we've taken care of those, it could get complicated.”

“Coq-san is right," Robin crosses her arms. “Maybe we'd better go back to the bus just in case.”

The others nod, we head for the Sunny when the Den-Den Mushi's bell rises inside it. Except for Rayleigh and Shakky, there's no one who can contact us, and usually it's when there's a problem that they do. We all exchange interrogatory glances before we rush inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... yeah, more troubles coming x) And I just realized we're already on the last third of the story!  
> As usual I hope you liked this chapter and see you next time, have a nice day/night or else!


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> Another week, another chapter. Enjoy~

Our whole group gathers around the Den-Den Mushi sitting on the table and watches it ring without saying a word. 

“Are you going to answer it?” I end up asking, looking at their worried faces. 

“What if it isn't Rayleigh?” Usopp wonders, observing the others. “What if it's an enemy?”

“Only he and Shakky can contact us,” Nami answers, always staring at the Den-Den Mushi. “And at worst, whoever it is, we're safe, it's just a call...”

I sigh and put my hand towards the snail to pick up the phone, making Usopp panic.

“Oi Tra-o, wait!” He exclaims. 

I ignore him and put the handset down on the table, making silence for a few moments until a voice comes out of the device.

“Mugiwara.”

I immediately recognize this voice, just like the others apparently.

“Kemurin?!” The concerned person exclaims. “How can you contact us on our Den-Den Mushi?!”

“Oi Luffy, hang up!” Usopp whispers. “That's not good!”

“Shut up Usopp,” Zoro orders.

“Silvers Rayleigh," he replies simply with a sigh. “Is Trafalgar there?”

“I'm surprised he managed to prove good faith to Rayleigh and Shakky-san...” Nami comments in a low voice.

“What do you want from me, Hakuryo-ya?”

“I asked about what you said to Tashigi.” He let the silence set it while the others raise an interrogative look at me, except Zoro no one knows what I asked him. I almost forgot what I said to this girl myself so I'm surprised Smoker didn't ignore me but satisfied he took the trouble to listen to me and he did some research so quickly. “I went to visit that lab you mentioned," he adds after a moment.

“What did you find there?”

“Not much, they were kind enough to let me in, but they wouldn't let me search. I don't trust you Trafalgar, but I recognize strange things are happening so I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

I smile, that's all I need. From his tone, he doesn't seem to like admitting I'm right, but obviously it's important enough that he's trying to contact me.

“And what do you need from me?”

“I searched the archives but I couldn't find anything on a place called Punk Hazard,” he said, clearly frustrated. “It's as if nobody ever mentioned it, or somebody redacted it from every last paper so I looked for a way to contact the Mugiwara, and thus you to find out more about it.”

“So you need me.”

“Don't take that tone with me Trafalgar," he groans, and I can hear the threat in his voice.

The others seem to gradually understand what is going on but remain silent, until Luffy approach the table to grab the handset.

“Oi, Kemurin! Tell the other guards to stop following us!” he shouts suddenly. “We're tired of being attacked!”

“I don't give the orders,” the other one replies with a tired tone. “I wasn't even aware that guards were looking for you outside the Grand Line barriers.”

I get what Luffy's got in his hands before he screams in again.

“What do you want?”

“When I woke up after our fight Tashigi told me that you advised us to go see the place the Mugiwara attacked weeks ago and look for information on Punk Hazard but nobody can tell me anything about it. Why would you want me to do that?”

“To make you a little aware that you might be on the wrong side.”

“There is no wrong side...What is Punk Hazard and what goes on in these labs?”

“Patience,” I mock. “You don't think I'm gonna tell you everything I know just like that, do you? How do I know you're not going to try to double-cross me?”

“Trafalgar...”

“You don't trust me and I don't trust you either,” I resume quickly. “But if you really want to learn more and help us then let's meet outside Grand Line, we can't risk going back to the city now and I don't want all your friends from the government to know about this.”

“I never said I was going to help you," he says immediately.

“In that case, goodbye Hakuryo-ya.”

“Trafalgar, wait...”

I keep quiet for a second, glad to see my proposal interests him enough to make him hesitate. I was right to send him to look for information about the labs in the city where I stayed for a while, he may be at the orders of the World Government, but he's one of the few guards to be wary and I intend to use that to our advantage.

“Okay," he says, as if reluctantly.

I can't help but smile. We've been in a lot of trouble lately and Smoker's help is unexpected, so maybe we'll be able to get out of this mire.

**~O~**

“Do you think he's really coming?” Franky asks.

“Yes, he's not the type to make empty promises,” Law answers.

We've been waiting for almost an hour in the middle of the forest. During their little conversation a week earlier, Law convinced Smoker to join us in a remote area to talk to him about things he doesn't know, to gain his trust and therefore his help. After he chased us all over town to stop us from leaving I have some doubts about his good faith but I trust Law, if he says we need him I can make a little effort. 

I'm not sure what he plans to do if Smoker agrees to help us but I hope at least the guards will stop chasing us. Other groups have tried to attack us but leaving their damn bug at a respectable distance from the bus when we stopped we still laughed and watched them from afar going around in circles like idiots, wondering where we were before they turned back, despondent. 

They may have finally figured out we know we are being followed because we haven't seen anyone for three days but I doubt they would give up completely for so little.

In the meantime Smoker is late, he should have joined us in the afternoon but night is already falling and we haven't had any news since we agreed to this appointment. 

“Oi, what if he brings an army of guards with him to kill us?” Usopp says. 

After two years I'm still astonished by his talent to be so negative about everything. “Would it kill you to be a bit optimistic sometimes?” I sigh.

“Don't be silly,” Nami adds. “If there's one guard who's a bit honest it's Smoker...”

“Grandpa's nice too,” Luffy says.

“We don't have the same definition of nice...”

“Luffy's grandfather is a high-ranking officer of the World Government,” I explain to Law in answer to his interrogative look. 

He opens wide surprised eyes and I understand what he must be thinking at the same time. I'm even surprised we didn't think of it before, if Garp is a high-ranking officer, chances are he knows who gave the order to shoot his grandson and the rest of his group. 

Unfortunately, I don't have time to share this with the rest of the group because before I open my mouth a motor noise resounds in the forest. A few seconds later Smoker appears between the trees on his motorcycle, a cigar in his mouth and he doesn't really look happy to be there.

As we agreed he is alone, it's weird to see him without the pretty brunette who is his right-hand woman but the atmosphere is still tense. He cuts the engine and doesn't make a movement, he gauges Law for a long time before finally approaching the group, lighting another cigar, then blowing a thick cloud of smoke. 

“I'm here, Trafalgar," he says. “Why is this information so important that I had to travel for several days for you deigning to give it to me?”

Law doesn't answer right away, he looks him in the eye before finally turning around and inviting him to get on the bus, which he obviously does in bad faith. Maybe he doesn't trust us, which I can understand because he is alone and there are ten of us, if we decided to attack him he wouldn't have a chance against us but it's not in anyone's interest to do that, and he has to understand that too.

Inside, everyone stands around the table and after a few seconds of staring at Smoker in a hostile way Law starts to tell him absolutely everything: that he is immune, that this is why he is wanted and that he was captured and taken to the lab Smoker managed to get into. 

It doesn't seem to shock him more than that because at no time did his expression change, so Law keeps speaking with the same equal tone. One of us sometimes comes to add something about Punk Hazard, about what happened there and this time the guard's eyebrows raise in surprise. Law ends by admitting he and Chopper have managed to create an effective antidote against the Infection without telling him what's inside and this time Smoker has a hard time hiding his surprise.

“How do you know it's viable?” he exclaims, dropping his cigar on the table in front of him. “Scientists from the World Government have been trying to make one for decades without success and you're going to make me believe that you two have made one in less than a month?”

“It's not our fault that the WG's scientists are incompetents,” Law scoffs and I can't help but roll my eyes knowing he's just showing off, we all know here he and Chopper are great doctors but also that it was despair that fueled them in the end.

“I was bitten,” I then reply, drawing his attention before he adds something more and they start bickering. “They made and used this antidote for me.”

His gaze fell on me so I undo my tie and open the first buttons on my shirt to show him the bite on my shoulder. He looks at it for a few seconds before looking at the table in front of him, picking up his cigar to put it back at the corner of his lips.

“Are you going to help us, Hakuryo-ya?”

He looks up at Law and seems to think for a few moments. “Before I left I ordered Tashigi to keep an eye on some people in the GM," he says. “During the week she contacted me every day to tell me about things she might have seen or heard.” He pauses, as if to give us time to prepare for what follows, and everyone keeps quiet, even Luffy. “Until yesterday I didn't know if I was going to help you or stop you on my way here, but with what I learned from Tashigi and what you just told me, I think it's high time someone made some changes. I'm not happy about allying myself with criminals like you, but it seems I have no choice.”

“Oi Kemurin! We told you we didn't do anything wrong!”

“What did Tashigi-chan learn?” I ask, ignoring Luffy.

“Akainu ordered all the vices-amirals to assemble guards and mercenaries and come to the surface to capture you, dead or alive.”

“One of the Admirals?” Nami asks, her eyes wide open. 

“Why would an admiral be so angry with us?”

“I found it odd too but now, from everything you've just told me I think he's afraid you're going to repeat some things and expose the mistakes of the World Government. If the public learns this we would lose all trust in our authority and it would probably cause a general panic.”

“We are not so stupid as to do such a thing,” I grumble.

“But Akainu can't afford to take the slightest risk," Law replies. “What we know makes us a threat.”

“Okay, but why come to want to kill us just because we attacked a lab?” Usopp steps in. “Okay, it's not very glorious for them but it's a pretty extreme solution, don't you think? Imagine what it would be like if he found out we went to Punk Hazard!”

“Maybe he noticed Smoker-san doing researches about it,” Robin proposes crossing her arms on her chest. “As an admiral he must have a number of guards under him directly.”

I raise my eyes to them. Law is not wrong, but I still think it's crazy the first reaction of a high-ranking officer to a complication is to try to kill us all without trying to talk with us. This guy is so incapable of taking responsibility for the mistakes that have been made in the past he sends dozens or even hundreds of guards after us without explanation.

“Now that we know who's after us, why don't we just go beat him?” Zoro declares, probably without thinking, like most of the time I think. 

“Because you think it'll be that easy?” I protest right away. “That's an admiral we're talking about, you dumb mosshead. He's got hundreds of guards at his command and he's probably a lot stronger than we are.”

“You think that scares me, K'so Cook?”

“Isn't there some way we can settle this without facing him?” Chopper asks, cutting short our argument.

We turn to Smoker, who seems to think for a moment, but it's Law who answers in his place. “Let's try to contact the Chief Admiral,” he says.

“I don't think he will be very keen to help you," Smoker comments, crushing his cigar into the ashtray in front of him before lighting a new one. And Chopper thought I smoke a lot... “He certainly has more important things to do than dealing with the problems of a small group of wanted Mercenaries.”

“Don't worry about that Hakuryo-ya, I know Sengoku-san.”

I look up at him in amazement, wondering how he can have someone as important as the Chief Admiral of the World Government among his acquaintances, but he ignores my gaze to speak again.

“If we can convey to him that one of his subordinates is acting rashly, perhaps he will do something in our favour, he is a pragmatic person.”

None of us seems very optimistic but we have no other option, we have an angry admiral on our backs and many guards who could come down on us at any time, so any help is good to take.

After our little discussion Smoker calls Tashigi so that she asks this Sengoku to discuss for him. We have no other way to send him a message directly and since she is a guard she will have no trouble walking around the World Government Tower, unlike one of us.

Shortly afterwards, he gets out of the bus and gets on his bike to leave quickly because he doesn't want his absence to be noticed too much and he certainly doesn't want to be seen in our presence if guards arrive. We'll probably hear from him in a few days, once he's back at Grand Line and has talked to the big boss to calm down the admiral who is after us. 

So all our hopes rest on a man who less than a month ago chased us across town to put us behind bars. The universe seems to have a certain sense of humor...

Once again between us, the atmosphere is more tense than usual. Nobody dares to utter a word, Nami, Usopp and Chopper have a worried look, Law seems lost in his thoughts but obviously Luffy is true to himself and remains carefree as usual and went to sit on the roof of the bus to get some fresh air. 

Even if this trait of his character can sometimes be annoying in moments of crisis, I must admit from time to time it is reassuring to see someone is not in the same state of stress as everyone else, especially when really there is nothing we can do but wait. 

We've often had problems, but lately I feel more and more things that are beyond us are falling on us, and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier. First the arrival of Law immune to the poison of the Infected among us, then the fact that he is wanted, our discovery of the origin of these monsters and the creation of an antidote, it's starting to do a lot. Not to mention the fact that I almost got killed at least twice in the space of two months, all that was missing was the fact we were all wanted dead or alive to add to that list. 

Looking back, it all seems too crazy to have happened in just a few weeks so I sometimes wonder if I'm going to wake up and realize all this is just a bad dream. But it's very real, and I have to get used to the idea... 

Not everything is bad in this case of course, first of all the fact that Law has come into my life because although it is unusual, it is the best thing that has happened to me since I left with Luffy and the others. I never thought I would find someone I would love in this way in this broken world, but in the end I am glad things turned out this way, even though the events that led to our current situation are tragic. 

I turn my gaze to Law, immersed in his thoughts at the other end of the bus. I don't know how this story is going to end, but I have a bad feeling that I can't get out of my head, I keep telling myself there is too little chance everything will end well. 

I'm willing to fight to the end to protect my friends and the person I love and I know that's true for all of us, but if I have to choose I'd rather we solve the huge problem we have without fighting, and especially without one of us getting hurt.

After a while I get tired of going over bad thoughts so I go outside to take a breath, I feel like I'm suffocating inside because of the tension. When I put my foot outside I feel like I'm breathing a little more freely and sigh before lighting a cigarette.

“You're making a face," Luffy says, I hear him turn towards me.

“It's normal, aren't you worried?” I ask looking up at him.

“No, you're all all right so I've nothing to worry about!”

“Do you know that dozens of guards might turn up around here in a few days' time?”

“Let them come! We'll beat them up like we always do and when this whole thing's over we'll go and have a feast at Shakky's!”

He gives me a big smile and I can't help but give it back to him. He may be stupid sometimes but he's not wrong, it's not our habit to mope and we always manage to get by, there's no reason for it to change now. All we have to do for now is wait and prepare for the possible arrival of guards soon.

To be a little safer, we decide to leave the bug in place and move a few miles away. It would be completely idiotic to stay there waiting for a huge group to fall on us even if we expect it, we would risk our skin for nothing and at least this way we have a chance to avoid them. 

We start to head for Grand Line so we can act faster and three days later, seeing we are still alone in this immense forest I start to relax. I tell myself we escaped the worst and Smoker will soon contact us to give some news. But in the middle of the night I am woken up by hitting on the roof of the bus.

“Oi guys, wake up!” Zoro yells outside. “We've got company!”

I exchange a look with Law before I get up and wake up Luffy who's still snoring. The others seem to have heard as well because they are already up and looking out of the windows, still sleepy but I don't waste any time and rush outside to join the Marimo. 

He is standing on the roof with two of his swords out and his look turned towards the trees behind me. As I turn my head to follow his gaze I see a green flare rising in the sky a few miles away, then another one to the right and another one again. Flares are launched all around us, in a circle of several miles, but I quickly understand we are trapped. 

We are completely surrounded, it is only a matter of time before the guards fall on us despite the fact they are not supposed to know our position.

“How did they find us?” Chopper asks, coming out behind me. 

“No idea, but right now we gotta get out of here,” Zoro says.

“Which way? They're all around us!” Usopp exclaims, looking up at the sky, where smoke lingers.

“It doesn't matter, if we stay here we're dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the noose is tightening around the Mugiwara x)  
> And it's almost over.  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and see you next time!


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!   
> Time for a little fight B)

We stay outside for a few seconds without really knowing what to do before getting back on the bus and Franky immediately gets behind the wheel before starting off. This kind of scenario has been repeating itself a bit too often for my taste lately... I must admit I've already complained that sometimes not much interesting happens in our daily lives but right now I would have liked it to be a bit less.

“Oi Franky, if you go in that direction we'll end up meeting guards!” Usopp yells, looking through the window. 

“That's precisely the point," he replies, smiling as if the situation amuses him.

“Are you crazy?! We're going to get killed!”

“Just trust me. We're surrounded anyway, no matter which way we go we'll encounter guards.”

I don't know what he's planning but if Franky's sure we can trust him, he's the specialist to get us out of trouble spectacularly.

While we are driving a new green flare salvo is launched just a few hundred yards from the bus. In a few seconds we'll come face to face with the guards... and I'm starting to fear the worst.

“Usopp,” Franky calls suddenly. “Pull the Coup de Burst lever and wait for my signal to get us off the ground.”

“Do we have enough fuel to do that?” Nami asks. 

“There's only one way to find out.”

Usopp obeys him and heads for the lever on the dashboard. At the same time, we arrive at a slightly clearer spot and I can see lines of guards heading towards us a little below the hill we're descending. They quickly spot our vehicle, some of them point some kind of gun at the sky and this time they fire red rockets while others point their rifles at us.

“Oi... you think the red ones mean they're going to attack us?” Chopper asks, his voice slightly shaking as he looks out the window. 

“I don't really want to linger here to find out,” Law says.

A second later, bullets start flying towards us, some pass far from the bus but others bounce off it with a metallic noise.

“Franky, don't you think we should take off right away?” Nami worries as wej see the distance between us and the group of guards getting smaller and smaller. 

“Couldn't we... just run into them and force them to move away rather than using the Coup de Burst?” Brook proposes, sitting down and clinging to his seat. 

“The bus is resistant,” Robin agrees. “These bullets won't damage it and we'll save fuel.”

Franky is hesitating, then I notice an attractive woman with long pink hair coming out of the rows and standing in front of us. Iron rods start coming out of the ground in front of her and move towards us at high speed, destroying any rocks or trees in their path.

“Usopp, get us off the ground now! These things are going to destroy the bus!” I yell.

I grab the nearest seat as hard as I can and feel my body being pushed backwards by the force of the Coup de Burst that sends us into the air. I see the regiment of guards getting far away but they are still shooting at us. 

New bars go up but fortunately we are too high to reach and more flares shine in the sky as we are moving away at high speed. 

Just a few seconds later the ground is already starting to come closer and we still haven't got anything to cushion the shock of the landing so all I can do to avoid being thrown against the ceiling of the bus is to hold on even harder to the seat. 

As soon as we hit the ground we continue on our way hoping to lose the army on our heels but I have the feeling it would be way too easy. If they decided to attack us they will not let us go as easily, the problem is there are too many of them for us to fight and there may be other people with powers as troublesome as those of that woman with the metal bars. We can't afford to face them without knowing what's ahead of us, we're more likely to get captured or killed than anything else.

While we are running between the trees I try to reassure myself that we managed to get out of there but the others don't seem much more convinced than me and I don't have the possibility to think about it for very long because a violent blow comes and shakes the bus.

“What's that again?” Usopp exclaims as he hugs Chopper on a double seat. 

“I don't know.”

“Maybe it's a horde of Infected!” Chopper says, a panicked look on his face.

“That would be all we need!”

Another hit moves the bus, which is launched as fast as it can in this kind of environment. I rush to one of the windows hoping to see what is attacking us but there is nothing but us, not the slightest trace of Infected or anything else.

“Do you see anything, Sanji-kun?”

“No, there's nothing...”

At the same time a powerful yellow light shines on us and something hits the ground right next to our vehicle again but I can't see what it is

“What is that thing?” The Marimo seems pissed off. “I can't see anything!”

“Speed it up, Franky-ya! Whatever it is, it's fast enough to follow the bus!”

He accelerates as fast as the terrain allows, but whatever's aiming at us obviously has no problem keeping up. A ray of light hits the ground again next to the bus, almost knocking it over and I think I see a man in the sky behind us for a moment. “Did you see that?” I ask as I turn to the others. 

“Yes, it's a guy attacking us," Luffy answers, frowning. 

“In that case let's take care of him, we can't escape if he follows us,” Zoro adds.

Law, Luffy and I nod. The Marimo opens one of the windows and jumps onto the roof and the three of us rush after him to confront our pursuer. 

****

~O~

****

**  
**

I draw my sword immediately in place on the roof and see Zoro doing the same thing looking all around him. Next to me Luffy cracks the joints of his fists while Sanji lights a cigarette and at the same time a light ray comes towards him from nowhere and would probably have hit him if Zoro hadn't reacted quickly, deflecting the attack with one of his blades. 

With a look I make sure he's okay before I turn my attention around, looking for where these attacks come from. I see a bright silhouette that detonates in the dark environment of the forest for a second and then disappears to reappear twenty feet further, sending each time some kind of laser in our direction and that we try to deviate to protect the bus. 

Unfortunately we are not going to get away with it this way, I recognize the man in our pursuit and I don't think we have a chance to lose him. The problem is confronting him is not a good idea either, in our current situation I am not convinced we can beat him and if we are put out of action the others won't be able to do anything.

I swear silently blocking a new ray while trying to think of a solution quickly. At least we've lost most of the army, the flares are still rising steadily but they're now a few miles away from us so we're out danger on that side, although I would have preferred to face those guards rather than this guy...

“I can't believe it,” Zoro growls, out of patience it seems. “That guy's too fast, we have no chance of hitting him if we keep running like this!”

“Let's lure him away from the bus and confront him,” Sanji suggests. “At least the others can get away.”

“Yeah, let's do that! Let's kick his ass!” Luffy approves.

“For once I agree with you, Stupid Eyebrow.”

“This is a really bad idea,” I'm cut them off as they get ready to jump off the bus. 

“Why not? You got anything better to suggest, Doc?”

“He's gonna end up destroying the bus if we let him go on like this!”

“The guy's an admiral! Even between the four of us, I'm not sure we can hold him back!”

The three of them glance at me for a while, probably just long enough for what I just said to make its way into their minds before another attack catches our attention. The man appears at that moment, teleporting himself over short distances so as not to get lost by the bus, which continue to accelerate and slalom between trees and rocks, putting our balance to the test.

“You're a sensible person, Trafalgar," he says in his slurred voice. “But continuing to flee won't stop me from capturing all of you.”

“We'll see about that, Kizaru!”

He creates a sword of light in his hand and throws himself at us, probably with the intention of slicing us and the bus in half, but I react quickly enough to counter his blow, even if I'm not strong enough to hold him back completely. 

The bus swerved to avoid a tree, allowing the man to break my guard effortlessly and I would have been thrown to the ground if Luffy's arm hadn't wrapped around my waist to hold me down. I don't have time to thank him because our enemy is already preparing his second shot but this time Zoro joins me and we manage to block him, not without difficulty. The latter takes advantage of it to launch an attack which would have hit Kizaru if he hadn't moved to stop it with his blade. 

“Is that all you've got?” Zoro provokes him. I'm not sure it's the best thing to do though... “I expected better from an admiral, I admit I'm a bit disappointed.”

Seeing the mocking smile of the latter I understand he's just having fun, he could have destroyed the bus and killed us a long time ago but he prefers to make fun of us by watching us struggle. He then teleports himself far above our heads and throws a multitude of luminous balls that crash all around us.

“You can't keep your mouth shut for two seconds, huh?” Sanji complains, deflecting the admiral's attacks as best he can.

“Oh, shut up...”

In every other situation I would have find it funny but right now I'd like them to focus. “This is really not the time for this!” I comment.

“Shishishi!”

I have no idea how we're going to get out of this situation. We're way too far from Grand Line to hide or ask for help, the bus doesn't have enough fuel to make a second Coup de Burst and anyway I don't think it would be of any use since Kizaru already caught up with us once. We're stuck, he can kill or capture us at any moment and we have no way to stop him. 

Despite everything we are struggling to ward off his attacks but I am getting tired and I feel like we are trying for nothing. The attacks he sends are always raining down on us, causing mini explosions when they hit the ground and threatening to overturn the bus at any moment. No matter how fast I think and defend myself, I can't come up with anything to get us out of this mess and I get angry.

“Shit, this motherfucker's too fast,” Zoro grumbles, out of breath. “I didn't touch him even once!”

“Calm down, Zoro-ya,” I advise him, even if I share his frustration. “Getting angry won't help.” I don't like seeing my blade cutting the air for nothing and I can't even use my powers because we're on the move, otherwise I might have had a better chance to slice him in half thanks to a Room.

“I can't believe it's for your sake that Sakazuki has been busting our ears so much for weeks," the man says wearily, as if bored. “You're not very entertaining, I'll finish you off and go home.”

Immediately he rushes down on us at an incredible speed and hits Zoro, who defends himself but is still sent into the trees several feet away from us by the force of the impact.

“Zoro!” Luffy extends his arm and his body also disappears in the forest without letting go of the edge of the bus.

The Admiral is going to do it again. I see him aiming at Sanji and I know I won't have time to react to defend him. 

He stops his movement and shifts to dodge a projectile launched in his direction which explodes where he was less than a second earlier. He continues to dodge whatever is sent at him, now standing at a distance that allows us to breathe for a second so I turn my head to see where it came from. 

I see Usopp, leaning out of the window we left open and firing as many arrows as he can at the man in yellow, encouraged by Nami. He doesn't seem very reassured by what he is doing and I suspect he hasn't decided on his own to attack an admiral of the World Government but I'm happy he did. This allows Luffy and Zoro to join us, they jump on the roof next to me, the green one wiggling his shoulder.

Thanks to Usopp's explosive arrows, Kizaru finds it difficult to get close enough to attack again with his sword because he risks getting hit by one every time he appears too close to us, he then makes his weapon disappear and an annoyed look takes place on his face. Unfortunately it is not enough to discourage him because he resumes his attacks from a greater distance, bombarding the bus with even more ardour than before. Usopp continues to shoot but his arrows are burned by the rays of light the other one fires at us so he goes back inside to take cover. 

We try to defend the bus but at this speed we can't block all its lasers and despite our efforts some manage to touch the bus. I can see the rear bumper falling to the ground being hit, then one of the mirrors shatter and the roof is also hit several times, leaving burn marks.

I cast a black look at the man in front of us and he, noticing not a single arrow is flying towards him, gives us a superior smile. “One last word before I finish with you?” He mocks in his drawling tone. 

It is better not to respond to his provocations, so we just look at him with anger for a moment and get ready for what's coming.

“Very well, too bad for you.”

He disappears in a flash and reappears a fraction of a second later in front of Sanji, who takes a moment too long to react. He raises one leg to defend himself and succeeds in blocking the first blow but Kizaru gives him a breathtaking kick that hits him in the belly and then a second one that sends him further away. He disappears between the trees as the bus continues to run but the admiral fires a laser in his direction, exploding a second later.

“Sanji-ya!” I shout and immediately start moving in the same direction. 

“Not so fast, Trafalgar.”

Kizaru appears in front of me and gives a kick I can barely block with my sword to prevent me from leaving. I try to push him back to join Sanji but he disappears just as Zoro arrives behind him to attack him.

“Oi, Franky stop the bus!” Luffy exclaims a moment later.

Kizaru moves behind Zoro with his blade but he manages to block his blow with his three swords and Luffy takes advantage of it to try to hit him while the bus starts to slow down until it stops completely. 

I should have attacked him too but I'm not focused on our enemy because of Sanji. I only turn my attention on him when I hear Zoro curse and get a violent blow in the flank that makes him drop one of his katana before Kizaru ejects him from the bus too. He falls a few feet away then get up again, holding his right side with his hand. 

Obviously he doesn't care about the members of the Mugiwara group, what interests him is Luffy and me because he positions himself in front of us, almost ignoring Zoro. He throws a ray that explodes on his contact without even looking at him.

I hear Chopper's voice calling the name of his friend from inside the bus before jumping on the ground with Luffy, who doesn't take his eyes off him. It's the first time I see so much anger in his eyes. He's usually so carefree, he's more serious than ever. 

Kizaru smiles badly and raises his hand to shoot again, this time at the bus, but I get in the way and block it with my blade, sending it exploding further between the trees. The bastard is probably thinking we are the most dangerous and he can take care of the others later and this thought makes me angry, he just keeps playing with us.

Luffy then jumps on him and hits him with his fist, which goes off as fast as a pistol bullet and he can barely take it.

“Don't touch my friends!” He threatens, jumping over him. 

He stretches his leg and swings it like a whip before hitting him again, but the admiral blocks him and returns the blow as if nothing had happened, sending him to the ground.

He gets up immediately and throws himself on him again so I go with him and attack too while creating a Room. I raise my weapon to attack him and appears behind him as Luffy's fist hits him but he is too fast. He manages to dodge both of us and hit us so I try blocking his blows as best I can. I want to find an opening to be able to counter-attack but neither I nor Luffy manage to find a flaw in his defense to do so. He takes all the hits he gets, gets up immediately as soon as he falls down to hit him but we can't get anywhere. The Admiral's blows are like masses coming down on us and he far surpasses us in speed. 

After a while we are exhausted and at a dead end. I tried to swap places to disorientate him several times but we only managed to touch him a few times. He has almost nothing except his lip slightly cracked by Luffy's first punch and some tears on his clothes, made by my blade. 

Zoro is on the ground and can't get up, I'm worried about Sanji who hasn't resurfaced and the others have no choice but to stay safe in the bus, helpless.

In front of us, with his hands stuck in his pockets, Kizaru doesn't seem to be the least bit tired, and that pisses me off even more. Luffy throws himself at him shouting and gets kicked out of the way, which sends him back next to me, but he gets up again and tries to attack again.

“You're annoying," The admiral sighs as he hit Luffy before grabbing him by the collar of his jacket.

“Let me go, you bastard!”

He struggles and grunts to get him to let go but the other one doesn't flinch. From where I stand I can see his hand starting to glow. I rush towards them, cutting the air with my sword but even using my powers he manages to dodge my blows by teleporting himself constantly and hits me hard enough to send me out of the Room. 

“I'll take care of you when I'm done with him Trafalgar, don't worry," he says as I got up.

“I told you to let me go!”

“Mugiwara... you're too noisy,” the other one complains. “I'll shut you up once and for all.”

“Mugiwara-ya!”

The light in Kizaru's hand is getting brighter. I run towards them but I'm too far away to do anything.

“Luffy... !”

I turn my head to Zoro, kneeling and looking down at the admiral with hatred. The light is blinding, it's getting hard to look in his direction and I can hardly see Luffy anymore.

Suddenly something passes by me at lightning speed and hit our enemy, throwing him against a tree and finally making him let Luffy go.

“Well, looks like I'm just in time!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you think arrived ? x)   
> Well see you next week to see, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii!  
> Here's the end of the fight we started last time!  
> Enjoy~

I look up at the person who just arrived. A long cape almost reaching the ground, white hair and a sword in hand. He's one of the last people I expected to see here. Luffy stands up coughing and looks at the newcomer too.

“Rayleigh!” he shouts with a big smile. “How come you're here?”

“Shakky found out about Akainu's order, I left as soon as she told me and followed the guards at a distance,” he answers. “I was afraid I wouldn't find you again, but the flares they are launching and Kizaru's attacks make very good markers.”

“Shishishi!”

Despite myself, I relax when I see him there, the way he sent the Admiral flying tells me he's more than able of standing up to him. He has already helped us a lot by allowing us to leave Grand Line the last time we were there and I'm really starting to think he's some kind of a guardian angel that always appears when he's needed for the Mugiwara group. At the same time, a laser goes at him, but he block it as if it was nothing.

“Silvers Rayleigh...” Kizaru's voice echoes, the man approaching us dusting his jacket. “I've never liked you, you've always taken care to do your business behind our backs, pretending you had nothing to reproach yourself with. Now that you attacked an admiral to help criminals I can finally take care of you!”

“These kids are not criminals," the other one retorts with a polite smile. “I'm sure you know that as well as I do, but you rather follow Sakazuki without arguing.”

He doesn't seem to like that remark because he rushes towards him with his sword of light and tries bringing it down on Rayleigh, but the old man is able to block it without too much effort. They exchange a few blows, I am impressed he manages to hold Kizaru's speed and strength, I know I wouldn't have been able to defend myself as he does, and I also realize how the admiral didn't take us seriously.

Their swords clash, each one hitting faster and harder than the other before my eyes. I find myself a few yards away from them without having the power to do anything and even Luffy doesn't dare to intervene.

“Luffy!” Then calls Rayleigh without taking his eyes off his opponent. “Get out of here! I'll hold him off!”

“Don't be so full of yourself!” The admiral retorts. “I'm not gonna let them get away from me like that!” He tries to outrun him to attack Luffy but Rayleigh is fast enough to get between them and protect him.

“Go, Luffy!”

He sends Kizaru back a few feet away then Luffy takes advantage of it to head towards Zoro and help him to get back to the bus as fast as he can while I already turn my eyes towards the forest.

“Oi, Doc' !” He calls out to me while getting up, leaning on one of his swords and the arm of his friend. “We've got to get the Cook back!”

“We'll wait for you further on, Tra-o!” Luffy adds.

They don't need to tell me twice, I nod and lose no more time. I turn away from them and run in the direction I saw Sanji disappear while the bus starts behind my back.

****

~O~

****

****  


I shake my head to get my thoughts straight and lean against the tree behind my back to get up with difficulty. The bastard made me fly a good fifty feet before I met a tree strong enough to stop me. Luckily his laser missed me, I don't know what state I would be in otherwise.

I hope the others aren't too far away, I don't feel like lingering alone in a forest with hundreds of guards on our tail. As I look up I notice a golden light shining above the trees in the distance so I start walking in that direction, I am sure this light comes from the attacks of this admiral. At least they are not that far away, maybe a mile.

I lean against the trees as I move forward because my back has taken a hit but the pain will pass in a few minutes, I know I'm stronger than that so I'm going as fast as I can. 

At the same time, as I am halfway between where I landed and Kizaru and, I hope, my friends, I hear noises I don't like behind me. I exhale and pray inside it's not Infected because I really don't want to fight a pack of rabid beasts when I understand these are human footsteps. It's not much better, but in my state I'd still rather fight guards than monsters. 

I turn around when a group of about ten men appear behind the trees with guns pointed in front of them. Those bastards must have followed Kizaru's luminous attacks to hunt us down here instead of continuing to tighten their circle by launching flares

I take a deep breath and take a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket to give me courage before I get close enough for them to notice me. 

“There!” One of them shouts, pointing at me. “That's one of our targets, kill him!”

They shoot at me without hesitation, I hide behind a tree to avoid the bullets and wait for them to reload to run into them. Luckily for me, they don't look like very strong or fast guys so I have no problem knocking out three of them before they try to empty their magazine on me again. 

I take care of the ones still conscious as quickly as my aching back allows me, hoping there aren't any more of their comrades around. I'm on my way again when another sound of foliage catches my attention, this time facing me.

I prepare to attack the person or people who arrive when I find myself facing Law, whose gaze immediately softens when it lays it on me. I immediately drop my guard and sigh with relief as I approach him.

“Are you all right?” he asks, putting his hand on my arm. “I heard gunshots.”

“Yeah, it was just a couple of guards... What are you doing out here? Did you manage to beat the admiral?” I'm surprised to see him this fast, I don't doubt their strength, but it still seems unlikely they managed to defeat such a powerful opponent so quickly.

“Not really, but we've got to hurry," he says, pulling me by the arm so we can move faster. “Rayleigh-san has come to help us but if more guards arrive we're going to lose the time he's saving us.”

“Rayleigh? How the hell is that possible? We're nowhere near Grand Line...”

“Let's just say he got a head start, he was worried about you all. You're lucky to have him.”

He gives me a little smile and we keep walking through the trees. Running hurts a bit and I can barely catch my breath but the pain is bearable so I clench my teeth and keep on stride after stride, I can't afford to be a burden, especially now. 

After a few minutes I end up hearing sounds of fighting and see a few bursts of light between trees but we go around them at a good distance. I begin to wonder where the bus is when the powerful light from its headlights comes on a couple hundred feet ahead of us. 

I redouble my efforts, pulled by Law who hasn't let go of my hand, and get on the bus with him before Franky starts to rush off. I drop down on a seat, sighing and catch my breath as we finally get away from the guards. 

To be honest I can't decide if we are extraordinarily unlucky to always get into the most unlikely trouble or if we are extremely lucky to manage to get out of it without that much trouble each time. Thinking about it for a moment, I think it's probably a bit of both...

“What do we do now?” Brook asks then.

“The plan remains the same,” Law answers. “We have to contact Smoker to find out if Sengoku got our message, then we'll advise.”

“Don't you think all those guards might not be after us if this Sengoku had talked to Smoker?” Usopp declares. “For all we know he doesn't give a damn about us and he lets Akainu do whatever he wants!”

“Will you stop being so negative for two seconds?” Nami sighs. She looks exhausted, but not as much as Luffy...

“With the situation we're in, I can't! What if Smoker just went back to Grand Line and let us do our own thing? Have you thought about that?”

“That's precisely why we need to get in touch with him as soon as possible," Chopper says, who's nursing the seaweed a bit back.

Law looks up at the others but he doesn't make any comment, maybe he has a doubt too. For once I'm more in Usopp's opinion about Sengoku despite the fact that Law seems to think this guy is not going to remain indifferent to our problem so I'm skeptical. On the other hand, if Smoker has really abandoned us to our fate I don't see how we're going to get out of this gigantic mess.

Law takes the Den-den Mushi with Nami and tries to call Smoker several times but the more the rings follow one another in the void and the more I see his annoyance rising. He clenches his fist on the table in front of him and probably would have thrown the snail at the other end of the bus if Nami hadn't hung up and kept it away from him. 

I understand how he feels, we're all in the same boat. We're heading to Grand Line because we have no idea what we have to do but we don't know what we're going to find there. If so many guards and high-ranking officers are chasing us outside the fences I hope we don't run into too many people who want us dead, but it's probably too much to ask. Chances are there will be a welcoming committee there for us when we arrive. 

Luckily we still have the secret passageway we used last time, but once in the city getting around is probably not going to be as easy...

I'm always in my thoughts when Law comes sighing and he sits down next to me after yet another attempt to contact Smoker. He puts his head against my shoulder without saying a word.

“Still nothing?” I ask, even though I know the answer.

“No, we even tried to call Shakky-san but there is no answer,” he answers, obviously annoyed.

I turn my attention back to Nami, whose eyes are worried before looking for a way to take our minds off it a bit. We have quite a few hours of driving ahead of us and I'll probably explode if we stay in this heavy atmosphere during the whole trip. Even Luffy, sitting next to the others, isn't as cheerful as usual. He is injured, looks angry and can't keep still.

“I can't wait for all this to be over,” Law sighs suddenly. “It'll be good to live quietly.”

“I thought you weren't suited for a quiet life?” I smile.

“I'm not talking about living in the city and having happy days doing nothing but... I was thinking if we all get out of this shit alive I could always go with you guys on your explorations to the surface. I must admit, I've taken a liking to that life.”

“Of course you're going to stay with us, idiot. Don't think I'm going to let you just walk away.”

“That's what I thought.”

I can feel him smiling when he says those words and a smile stretches my lips as I put my head against his with my eyes closed. He slips his fingers between mine and we stay like this for a moment while I think about where we can go after all this. We've never been very far east of Grand Line before, so maybe this will be a good opportunity to find out what's there... in the meantime we have a lot of work to do, but daydreaming a little bit doesn't hurt, I'm even feeling a little less stressed than a few minutes ago.

When I reopen my eyes the sky starts to clear out of the window, I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep and obviously we drove all night to get away from our pursuers. My hand is still in Law's and I let it stay there but I slowly raise my head up with a grimace because my neck hurts from having bent my head for so long.

“Sanji, Law, wake up," Chopper whispers as he passes by. “We're going to take a break.”

I nod and Law slowly raises his head with a grunt and pulls his hand away from mine, leaving me feeling cold as he moves away from me. As I stand up I notice my back is no longer hurting and apart from a few aches and pains I am fine. That's good. 

I go out after the others to stretch my legs and get some fresh air while lighting a cigarette. I take a big puff of smoke that I slowly blow out and at a glance I can see the Marimo looks fine too, Chopper is even shouting at him to stop removing his bandages. 

I'm relieved, not that I was worried about him... but it must have been frustrating for him to be in this state after a fight with this admiral. I blame myself too for being so weak, I wasn't much help to fight him and if Rayleigh hadn't come to our rescue I have no idea how it would have ended. I mean, bad for us, that's for sure.

“Don't make that face Sanji-san, it's gonna be okay!”

I look up at Brook, facing me and he glances at me with a preoccupied look on his face. I didn't realize I was lost in my thoughts, leaning against the bus while my cigarette burns itself in my hand. He gives me a little encouraging smile before joining Luffy and Usopp a few yards away. I sigh and at the same time the Den-Den Mushi bell rings inside the bus. 

It takes less than two seconds for Law to rush inside and I follow him, closely followed by the others who gather to enter after us. He picks up the phone and there is no noise for several seconds during which everyone's patience probably reaches its limit before Smoker's voice finally rises.

“Trafalgar. Where are you?”

"Hakuryo-ya, we've been trying to reach you for hours,” Law says without even trying to hide his irritation. “What took you so long?”

“Men under Akainu's direct orders are watching us closely, Tashigi and I," he replies without even taking offense at Law's tone. “It must be because of the researches I did and those few days when I wasn't there that they've been watching me so I couldn't risk them catching me contacting you.”

“Any news about Sengoku?”

“He hasn't been at Grand Line for days, maybe even weeks.”

“What do you mean he's not at Grand Line?” Usopp intervenes. “And what are we gonna do about it?”

“Shut up, Usopp,” Zoro orders quietly.

“He left with Vice-Admiral Garp and several men for a remote base in the mountains. From what I heard he should be back in a little while.”

Law is pensive, for my part I'm beginning to think Admiral Akainu took advantage of his superior's absence to do what he wanted and put half of the Grand Line guards at our backs. 

This bastard waited for Sengoku and Luffy's grandfather to go away before coming down on us... if what Law says is true about the first one it explains why he didn't react, the most plausible reason is that he is not even aware of what's going on. 

But knowing that doesn't help us any more for now, quite the contrary. The smartest thing to do would be to hide until we can contact him when he comes back and look for a solution, but I have too much of a feeling that we're being taken for idiots to sit quietly. No... I'm tired of running away, I'm going to do something for once and I'm not going to let anyone decide our fate for us, Admiral or not. Law and Nami keep talking with Smoker about the options we have but nobody can find a solution.

“How long does it take to reach Grand Line from here?” I suddenly ask turning to Franky.

“I would say a little more than a day, it all depends on the quality of the terrain," he answers after a moment of reflection.

“Perfect, so I suggest we keep following the plan and go have a direct talk with this Admiral Akainu,” I declare, my gaze passing over the faces of my friends.

“Sanji, you're out of your mind?” Chopper asks and at the same time I see Usopp's face going through multiples emotions. “You want us to go straight to the lion's den?”

“I'm tired of running away,” I say. “He'll always end up finding us anyway and he'll eventually get us. He's already sent this Kizaru after us, I don't see what would stop him from doing it again so we might as well bring the fight to him.”

Some of them stare at me like I'm going crazy, and then there's Luffy who seems to agree with me, Zoro who doesn't care and Law who seems to weigh the pros and cons. 

“He's not totally wrong,” Nami finally declares, an expression of intense reflection on her face. “Grand Line has been our destination since the beginning anyway and we have allies there. Even if Sengoku and Luffy's grandfather aren't there there are still Rayleigh, Shakky-san and Smoker.”

Silence falls on us for a few seconds but everyone seems to finally take the idea seriously.

“So we still go there even if the Chief Admiral isn't in the city?” Chopper finally asks, a little anxiety in the voice.

“I think it's time for the prey to become the hunter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for today!  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as usual, see you next week.  
> Until then have a nice day/night or whatever!


	35. Chapter 35

We arrive within the Grand Line area in the middle of the night, which is a good thing. The Sunny stops less than a mile from the cave sheltering our entrance, hidden, so we continue on foot. 

As we get out of the bus I quickly look at the others' faces, they all have a different expression. The Marimo has the same furrowed eyebrows as usual and Luffy is in such an off-beat mood like he does everytime, a smile on his face he walks in the snow as if he was walking around. Franky, Robin and Brook don't seem more worried than that, unlike Usopp who obviously doesn't want to be there. Next to him, Nami seems to be thinking and Chopper looks rather worried, which I can understand. 

Law, for his part, is focused, I can't tell what's going on in his head right now but I can read determination in his eyes. 

I look away and concentrate on where I'm walking, roots are strewn all over the ground and hidden under the snow it's easy to trip over them, as Luffy testifies, falling head first in the powder snow a few minutes later and not paying attention to where he's walking. 

We reach the cave shortly after, Franky lights a torch to light our way and we walk, the silence only broken by the noise of our footsteps muffled by the earth walls. 

After descending the innumerable metal bars driven into the rock that lead us to Grand Line we finally arrive in the basement of the house we now know pretty well. Nami, in the lead, opens the hatch and everyone gets ready to go out. We check the way is clear before leaving the house and head for the Rip-off Bar, as usual.

Going back there after what happened last time may not have been the best idea of the century as the guards now know we can be there but we have no other choice, it's the only place where we can hide.

As we walk, I sense something is wrong. Usually there are people at all hours of the day and night, even drunk guys coming home after a long night in a bar but tonight the streets are deserted, there is no one alive.

Not far from the bar, I see guards patrolling. We hide in an adjacent alleyway hoping they haven't noticed us until I see them disappear around the corner, then when they are far enough we hurry to our destination. Once there, our group bypasses the building and goes through the back door. 

We enter discreetly and I immediately relax, I feel almost safe here. When the door is closed, I hear footsteps in the room and recognize the click of Shakky's heels on the wood.

“Isn't that Monkey-chan?” With a smile on her face, she approaches us, her eternal cigarette at the corner of her mouth. “You're going to tell me what happened to you again.” She passes us to lock the door and greets us in the room, makes everyone sit down and stands in front of us waiting for someone to talk. 

So we tell her about our last "adventures" and what we learned from Smoker then Robin tells her Rayleigh flew to our rescue by fighting Kizaru to allow us to escape just in time.

“Do you think he's all right?” Chopper asks, worry in his voice. “We haven't seen him since he saved us from that admiral.”

“Don't worry," Shakky replies with a reassuring smile. “He called me during the day, but now I understand why he won't be coming home right away. Kizaru doesn't carry him in his heart and he was only looking for a good excuse to have the right to chase him for years but he has known others. He'll show up when things have settled down, as usual.”

She doesn't seem to be worried about him and I admit it reassures me, I wouldn't like the idea of Rayleigh getting into serious trouble because of us. I was wondering what happened to him because we haven't heard from him, but if Shakky says he's all right, that's a load off my mind.

“Shakky-san, why is the city deserted?” Brook questions, crossing his arms on the table. “Usually there's people here all the time and the bar is empty...”

“Oh, this?” She pulls out a cigarette and lights it, her expression suddenly hardens. “It's because of the curfew.”

“A curfew?” I'm surprised, it never happened before. I notice Law's expression changing, he's no more excited about it than I am.

“It's been going on for a few days, a little over a week. There's been an announcement all over Grand Line. Everyone has to be home by nightfall and there are more guards patrolling the streets.”

“One week,” Robin starts thinking again. “If we believe what Smoker-san told us this announcement took place after the Chief Admiral left town.”

We keep silent for a while. Robin is right, the timing can't be accidental.

“Akainu certainly waited until Sengoku was no longer here to send guards after us and set up this curfew,” I say following her reasoning.

“But what's the point of a curfew if they're looking for us outside?” Usopp adds. 

He gets no answer other than Shakky's shrug but he's got a point, it doesn't make sense. I'm replaying in my head what happened in the last few days. The point of having the streets empty at nightfall is only useful if what he is looking for is there, and we were on the surface until today, I don't see the connection. Nobody knew we were coming except Smoker, and he has no reason to betray us now.

I raise my head to the others, they seem to be as deep in thought as I am. Even Luffy looks like he's thinking seriously, his arms are folded over his chest and his eyebrows are frowned, which is not his habit. 

The only reason Akainu would do this... “What if he knew we were coming?” I let go. 

“How could he?” Nami is surprised. “We haven't told anyone...”

“No, what I mean is he must've been thinking about us coming back, right?”

“He wants to be ready for any situation,” Law continues, straightening up in his chair. “Akainu is not stupid, after we managed to escape he must have thought that we would come here to hide right under his nose and he suspected that we would arrive in the middle of the night.”

“He didn't want us to go unnoticed among other people," Robin says.

I nod. But the joke's on him because thanks to our covert entry we only have a few hundred yards to cross to get to safety and the guards didn't spot us. Grand Line is huge so there are many smaller doors than the main entrance leading to different parts of the city, they are all guarded but the entrances like the one we took are known only to a few people. It is usually unsavoury individuals who use them to enter and leave the city illegally, only a handful of people must know them all and admirals are certainly not among them. 

We keep talking and thinking for a while, but Shakky quickly sends us upstairs to the rooms so we can rest. So everyone goes to one without talking to get some sleep because in the morning we have to find a way to talk to Smoker discreetly, face to face.

I push the door of one of the rooms and let myself fall on the bed with a sigh and close my eyes while Law closes the door behind us. The mattress moves under his weight as he lies down beside me and I feel his hand in my hair a moment later. I lean on my elbows to put my head on his chest and sigh again.

“What's going on, Sanji-ya?” he asks, putting an arm around my shoulders.

“Nothing, it's just... When's it going to end?” I declare, putting my chin on his chest and looking up at him. “When are we finally going to be good? I feel like we've only been running and fighting and getting into trouble for months.”

Being hunted, fighting, hiding, it's all starting to get exhausting. I feel like we've being treated like the villains in this story, that we did something wrong when we're not guilty of anything. All I want is to be able to live my life with my friends and the person I love without having to look over my shoulder every step of the way, is that really too much to ask?

“I think this whole thing will be over in a short while,” Law finally answers. “Maybe just a few more days and this will all be cleared up one way or another.”

“Yes, hoping it doesn't end with us dead and you in a lab for the rest of your life,” I add ironically, resting my cheek on him. 

He looks at me with a little amused smile and puts his lips on my hair before hugging me a little tighter. “It's not in your nature to be so pessimistic," he says. “It's usually more my role.”

“Yeah you're right, you must've rubbed off on me.”

A little laugh escapes me, he's not wrong, even if he's trying harder these days. I snuggle against him, enjoying his warmth and although I'm not tired I try to sleep. It's hard but after a while, rocked by Law's heartbeat close to my ear, I end up falling into Morpheus' arms.

****

~O~

****

****  


Leaning against the doorframe, I sigh at the spectacle before my eyes.

“I'm telling you, you can't go like this!” Nami says for the fifth time at least. 

“And why not?” Luffy gets indignant.

I watch him trying to get closer to the door but held by Sanji and Zoro all he can do is extend his arms halfway down the corridor leading to the exit without getting any closer to the front door. 

“Cause you're just gonna get us all killed!”

He pulls even harder, but the other two are stronger than him and manage to make him let go. The three of them fall on the ground before getting up again and Zoro catches Mugiwara by the collar of his shirt to take him to the main room of the bar where we can resume a normal conversation.

Earlier in the morning we started looking for ways to solve our problem but unfortunately we don't have many options, two to be exact. First we can wait for Sengoku to come back and clear things up with Akainu, although we are not sure when he plans to return to Grand Line or we can manage with the help of Smoker and possibly Rayleigh if he resurfaces soon. There is also the third option, which Mugiwara proposed and which is to go to the World Government HQ and get things straight directly with Akainu.

Obviously we quickly rejected this idea but Luffy did'nt entirely agree with it and tried to put his "plan" into effect immediately. 

I have to admit that in spite of myself, I'm starting to be more and more in favour of his idea, I'm tired of having to rely on so many other people I don't know to decide our fate. Even if it's madness, at least this way we decide for ourselves how we're going to handle things.

I keep a smile from stretching my lips when I realize that three months ago I would never have had this kind of thought. The Mugiwara group is starting to rub off on me in a very worrying way.

I'm always a little lost in my thoughts when the main door of the bar opens violently to go banging against the wall. I immediately turn my head in that direction and see armed men coming in and shooting in our direction without hesitating for a second. I immediately take cover by knocking over a table and at the same time see the others hiding behind the bar, a pillar or another table.

I hear the bullets sticking into the wood, we wait until our attackers run out of ammunition before counter attack. As soon as the shooting stops, Zoro, Luffy, Sanji and I come out of our hiding places and throw ourselves at the guards.

There are about ten of them, but without their weapons they are now defenseless and panicked. I hit one in the face as hard as I can, I feel the pressure of the blow in all my hand when my fist hits his skull but I don't wait to see him fall to the ground to hit the guy next to him. 

I see Sanji sending his knee into a man's belly from the corner of my eye and Zoro hitting another man's head against the wall while Mugiwara gives punches around him then calm comes back. We took care of them in a few seconds but there is a good chance others will soon arrive as reinforcements.

“We have to get out of here,” I say as soon as I see the others come out of hiding. “There's not a minute to lose.”

“How did they find us?” Usopp exclaims at the same time. “No one's supposed to know we're at Grand Line!”

“They already found us here once," Nami answers, looking at the guys knocked out on the ground. “They must have suspected that if we came back to town this is where we'd be.”

She's not wrong, we were stupid to think we'd get away with it every time by taking refuge at the Rip-off Bar, the guards already knew we were there the last time. 

Even so, something seems odd to me, their timing is too perfect. We arrived during the night and a few hours later a group of guards arrive as if they knew for sure we were here by shooting without warning, the only solution is that someone has ratted us out. 

I think quickly but there is noise in the street, many footsteps slamming against the ground. We have no time to lose, we must move or the situation will soon be to our disadvantage.

“They're coming," Zoro says before I open my mouth to warn them. 

“Yosh! Let's move, guys," Luffy adds.

The rest of us go upstairs quickly to get our weapons and come right back down.

“Shakky-san, are you coming with us?” Brook asks, stopping in front of the bartender. 

She doesn't look the least bit worried, her cigarette in her hand she's leaning against the counter as if everything was perfectly normal.

“Don't worry about me," she says with a small smile and a wink. “Get away from here, I'm safe but I have to clean up this mess.”

The others nod, Chopper hands me my sword and we go out without waiting.

Outside the guards aren't far and from the noise they make there must be at least fifty of them. We then start running in the opposite direction without really knowing what we are going to do. 

It's obviously too late to try to contact anyone so I'm afraid the only solution left is to hide somewhere, I don't know what else we can do. Right now we must lose the guards on our heels, there are many more of them than us, we don't know how strong they are and more could come in at any moment. Things can't get any worse. At least that's what I thought until a wall burst in front of us a few minutes later. 

“What the - !”

Our group stops, I listen but I can't figure out where the attack is coming from and there's nobody else in the street but us. The guards chasing us are too far away for it to come from them and I can't hear anything else around. Then I hear a whistling noise coming from the left just before a cannonball passes at full speed, blowing another wall a few yards away from us. 

“A cannonball?!” Usopp shouts. “Who fires a cannonball in the middle of town?!”

“Trafalgar!” A loud voice calls out then, with the owner laughing heartily. “I knew it was you and your new little friends I saw hanging around in the middle of the night!”

The voice comes from above, I clench my fists when I recognize it. 

“On the roof!” Nami points to it, but I already know who's there without having to look.

I should have known he'd end up coming back to bother us, he can't get enough of it and he certainly wants revenge for what happened the last time our paths crossed.

“Oi the messy one,” Luffy shouts. “Get out of the way!”

“I suppose it was you who told the guards we were here, Eustass-ya,” I spit when I finally look up at him.

He completely ignores Mugiwara and doesn't take his eyes off me then answers me with an evil smile. With his arms folded over his chest he is proud but he is alone, which is unusual. I am on my guard, on the lookout for anything. With him you can never know where the blow is going to come from and the others have also understood this because not one of them takes their eyes off him.

“I told you I would get revenge for what you did to my men!” His tone is angry this time. “And today is the day it falls on you!”

“Stop jocking around," I say in a despising tone. “You're just an arrogant bastard, you don't give a damn about the guys I killed! I'm sure you didn't even know their names, they were just poor tools you used to get to me.”

He frowns, obviously he doesn't like what I'm saying but I know I'm right, good for him. I know who the real members of his group are, and the poor guys he threw at me the last time we met weren't part of it.

“It doesn't matter," he says. “Any reason is good enough to give you a good thrashing and I'm sure I'll get a small fortune for your heads!”

“Don't think we're going to let you do it," Sanji intervenes, staring at him. 

I take one look at him, he seems ready to pounce on him and I could have smiled if the situation was more appropriate. Unfortunately this idiot Kidd makes us lose precious time.

“We don't have time to waste with him,” I say to the others.

“Let's get out of here," Robin nods. “The guards will catch up with us at this rate.”

She's right, they almost caught up with us already, I can hear their footsteps. They're too close for my taste. 

Nami takes a step with the intention of resuming her path and immediately a sword comes sticking into the ground at her feet. I turn an angry glance towards Kidd, still on the roof and still smiling at me with a bad look.

“You're not going anywhere," he laughs.

Dozens of swords, other blades and metal weapons of all kinds start to float in the air around him, all pointed at us. He obviously has no intention of letting us go and the guards are too close for us to lose them. We don't have a choice anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Home straight in the last three chapters, there's gonna be a bit of action!  
> Those guards and Kidd are annoying, huh? x)  
> I hope you liked this chapter and well, see you next time!


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hi!   
> I've been so busy with Lawsan week I almost forgot it was Saturday... x)  
> Anyway, here's this week's chapter!  
> Enjoy~

My gaze goes from Kidd to Law to the others next to me. Behind us I can hear the guards getting closer and closer but nobody is moving and I'm seriously starting to wonder how we're going to get out of here. Nobody dares to make a move, the dozens of blades threatening to fall on us preventing us from leaving.

Clearly we're gonna have to fight, all our other options disappeared when that jerk with a metal arm showed up. I don't know why he's so angry with Law, I don't even know if he has a good reason to be and to tell the truth, I don't care. There's no good enough reason why he would want him to be locked up knowing what's going to happen to him just for money. 

“They're here!” A voice suddenly claims behind us. 

Shit, I turn around and find the guards within a hundred yards of us. I silently curse, it's too late to hope to lose them.

“You guys have no more escape," the redhead laughs. He gauges us for a moment with a mocking smile while the guards come up to us but stop at a good distance. Clearly running away is no longer an option, all we can do now is fight.

The first one to move is of course Luffy who runs straight on the redhead, I see him leaping in his direction with his fist first and everything happens very quickly. Kidd sends blades and cannonballs towards him but he dodges them without problem. Zoro reacts straight away, his blades drawn and ready to deflect weapons that could come crashing down on us. I also rush to help him, hitting a cannonball that flies right towards Chopper and finally lands on the ground a little further away. 

“I'll take care of this one!” Luffy shouts. “You, take the guards!”

We obey and turn to our opponents, who haven't moved yet. Next to me I see Usopp take his bow and I hear Law draw his katana just before I run towards them. 

There must be about fifty of them but I think we are more than able to handle them. An arrow flies to my right and sticks in the shoulder of a guy and Zoro passes me to go and hit another one a little further. Before they even had time to shoot at us once I've already put three guards out of action. There are a lot of them but they're weak and a few don't even look very brave. 

Some of them start to get scared when they see we have the upper hand despite our numerical inferiority and they are right. Unfortunately one of them had to warn someone they found us because reinforcements arrive a few moments later and our group is a bit overwhelmed. Obviously, it couldn't have been that simple... Even Franky's flamethrower isn't enough to keep them at a distance and Law is forced to use his powers to give us a bit of a break.

Out of the corner of my eye I watch Luffy from time to time. Even if we manage somehow his help would not be refused, I raise my head when Kidd's huge metal fist sends him crashing to the ground but he immediately gets up to counter-attack. It seems the redhead is holding on, I know Luffy is stronger than him but his power is annoying, he prevents him from moving as he wants by flying projectiles in all directions. 

“Sanji-kun, behind you, watch out!”

I turn around when I hear Nami's voice to see a huge guy with wings trying to hit me with a metal pillar bigger than me. I barely avoid him with a leap and see behind him a strange guy with long hair looking at us with an indecipherable expression, cards in his hand.

That's all we needed... I suspected other Mercenaries besides Kidd were going to be attracted by the bounty on our heads, I would have hoped they wouldn't arrive at that moment though. 

The big one's coming at me again, his weapon ready to hit me in the head. I wait for the right moment to avoid it when Franky throws himself between me and him, blocking his blow with his metal arm. 

“I'll take care of him, Sanji!” he says, turning towards me. 

“I'm going to crush you!” The other one growls.

I trust Franky, so I move away so as not to interfer with his fight and turn instead to the guy who looks like a scarecrow. The latter has moved, Zoro apparently found him suspicious too because he's now fighting with him but apparently he wasn't that strong or so fast because after only three attacks Zoro manages to pierce him with one of his swords. 

I'm waiting for him to collapse on the ground, just like the cactus head, but he just takes a few steps back as if nothing had happened. He must have strange abilities too, but I don't have time to stay focused on them, there are always a worrying number of guards around us and I can't see the end of it.

I'm getting tired, for every guy I get rid of, two more come to take his place. Around me the others are doing well but I see they are in the same state as me. Robin is struggling with three opponents but Chopper comes to her rescue and takes care of one of them, allowing the brunette to beat the other two but they seem to be out of breath. At this rate they're going to wear us down.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Law fighting fiercely, I then notice we are all in a Room and he is using his power a lot. I don't like it. If Demon Fruit users like Luffy use their abilities as they breathe, I know this isn't the case with Law. He explained to me some time ago that for him it wasn't quite the same thing, every time he uses his powers he gets tired until he is barely able to move.

I watch him slashing dozens of guards a minute, swapping places with others to better dodge attacks or deliver blows. As he fights against a blond guy with a mask and two blades, I'm even convinced I saw his blade surrounded by electricity for a few seconds, like when he killed that human Infected two months earlier. If he goes on like that I know he will eventually fall from exhaustion so with the others doing well I decide to help him so he can have a little breather.

“It goes on and on!” Usopp complains not far from us. “I don't have many arrows left!”

At the same time, an unidentified projectile crosses what now looks more like a battlefield than a street to crash into a pile of crates and destroy it. A lot of people including me stop fighting to see what it was and I quickly recognize Kidd's coat in the wood debris. He doesn't move, he's certainly knocked out so I look up and see Luffy standing on the roof before he falls to his knees. 

He has a few cuts here and there, his shirt is torn in places and he's out of breath but he's fine, he doesn't look like he has any serious injuries. A second later he gets up and jumps to the ground and starts running towards new enemies while shouting. 

Unfortunately even with Luffy's help the number of guards around us is too great for him to be effective, we are just wasting time. We need to find a way to get out of this place before any real problems happen, but if we all leave it would only move the fight elsewhere. I keep fighting while I think of a way to get us out of here when Robin's silhouette enters my field of vision, taking me out of my thoughts.

“Coq-san!” she calls. “There's no point in us all staying here! You have to find Smoker-san or someone else to stop this!”

She's right, we have to go and get help but we're already having trouble fighting all our opponents at ten, so if some of us leave they certainly won't be able to win.

“Robin's right, go!” Franky adds then, still struggling with the giant and his pillar. “We're holding them back!”

Usopp then raises his thumb as an encouragement and Zoro is still fighting so I reluctantly turn away from them and catching Luffy with Nami we leave at six, letting these four take care of the guards.

A group of them try to block our way but Franky and his flamethrower quickly clear the way and we go away without being chased. We run as fast as we can to put as much distance as possible between us and them and end up stopping in an empty alley.

“What do we do next?” Brook asks, out of breath.

We keep quiet. We managed to escape, but I have no idea what we're going to do now. There's nothing we can do on our scale, we're on our own in this. I then look at the other's faces in turn and frown when I see that something, or rather someone, is missing.

“Oh seriously... where's Luffy?” I ask, looking around and trying to hear him, focusing on the noises around me.

“He was running behind me a minute ago!” Nami opens her eyes wide and goes to the exit of the alley. “He's not there!”

****

~O~

****

**  
**

“Shit, I don't believe it!”

Sanji kicks a pebble, sending it ricochet off the walls.

Even after so much time with them Mugiwara still manages to amaze me. Luckily there's always someone to try to make him see reason even if it doesn't work everytime, and today seems to be one of those days when he's just doing what he wants.

“Let's think about this for a moment,” I declare. “Where could he go? He can't be that far away.”

I'm doing my best to stay calm but obviously the others are starting to panic, although it doesn't help us find him. I start thinking, in this situation where could he go alone?

“Oh, no...”

“What is it, Chopper?” Sanji asks, obviously worried.

“You don't think... he'd go and fight Akainu?”

I see them exchanging glances. We all know the answer to that question, of course he's able of doing something like that. He never judges the danger when he does something and he's been determined to fight the Admiral for days.

So I look up at the World Government tower. It is visible above the houses around us and stands out from the rest. Its top dominates the city more than four hundred yards above the ground, right in the center of the city and just under the huge hole from which the faint moonlight comes in. It is not so far from here, and if this is the way Mugiwara goes alone we have to go there too, who knows what he can do and what can happen to him if we are not there?

“Let's join him," Sanji says. “That idiot might get killed if we leave him alone!”

We nod and start running back to the tower hoping to catch up with Mugiwara or at least join him before he does something stupid.

Next to me I see Nami out of breath who struggles to keep up and Chopper and Brook who are also tired. They're exhausted, which I can understand. As Mercenaries Sanji and I have more stamina and are faster but we can't leave them alone to catch up with Mugiwara more efficiently.

“I'm going ahead to try to catch up with Mugiwara-ya,” I tell Sanji.

He seems to hesitate for a second before finally nodding. I try to reassure him with a little smile then accelerate the pace, distancing them in a few seconds.

I slalom through the streets and end up jumping on the rooftops hoping to be faster and see something as I get closer to the tower. After a handful of minutes, seeing it only a few hundred yards from where I am and no sign of Mugiwara I start to doubt, what if we were heading in the wrong direction and he's not there? Luckily I am reassured a few moments later when I hear fighting nearby. 

While jumping on the ground from a roof I see a guy flying and crashing several feet away, thrown by the blow of the person I was looking for.

“Mugiwara-ya!” I yell to draw his attention. 

He turns his head towards me with a big smile while avoiding the blow of a woman's sledgehammer in front of him.

“Oh, Tra-o! There you are!” He replies it with a laugh. “Where's everybody else?”

“I got a little ahead to find you, so they'll be here any minute. You shouldn't have gone alone!”

He starts laughing more, struggling with three opponents as if nothing had happened. I sigh when I see him, I really wonder sometimes how he managed to guide his group for two years without getting killed...

A guy notices me and approaches me with a long knife but I barely give him a glance before hitting him with the pommel of my sword and sending him to the ground in pain. Meanwhile Mugiwara takes care of the last two guards looking for a fight and immediately starts running back to the tower.

I swear and start running behind him reluctantly so as not to lose him again.

“Stop running! Let's wait for Sanji-ya and the others and think of a solution together!”

“I have a solution,” he shouts without slowing down. “It's all because of that Akainu guy, so I'm going to smash him and everything will be settled!”

His reasoning is very simple, even if in the absolute I must admit he's not totally wrong but I keep it to myself, I don't want to encourage him so I just sigh for any answer and keep following him hoping Sanji, Nami, Chopper and Brook will join us soon.

We pass guards on our way. First a handful and then more and more as we approach the tower, which slows down our progress. There are many of them but unfortunately for them they are just cannon fodder, all they can hope to do is slow us down a bit. Mugiwara manages to push back many of them with his fists and I take care of the few who escaped his blows without much effort.

We end up arriving on a large square in front of the tower gates, where a large group of guards are waiting for us and I don't really feel like fighting against so many opponents. Between our race and the fact that I used my powers earlier, I'm starting to get tired and I don't want to exhaust myself now knowing we could meet up against much more dangerous guys than this.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Mugiwara smiling and rubbing his hands before throwing himself into the crowd, hitting just about anything that comes his way. Reluctant, I draw my blade, hoping for the others to come fast and let my opponents come to me. At first there are few of them, the vast majority concentrating rather on the one they must judge to be the most dangerous of us, but very quickly they try to avoid him. 

We've been fighting for several minutes, I still manage to keep up the pace without using a Room and by saving my energy as much as possible but it's getting more and more complicated, I have the feeling the number of men we're facing is not decreasing. 

My reflexes are less and less precise and I am hit more and more often even if it's still scratches, until one of them manages to hit me a little bit harder and a stronger pain spreads on my side. I wince as I put one hand on the spot of my wound and discover it covered with blood. That's all I needed... It doesn't seem so bad, but I'll have to take care of it if I don't want it to bother me.

I set up a Room and give a raging blow around me to get rid of the guys surrounding me and take a second to breathe when they all fall to the ground. 

I quickly tear a guy's piece of clothing on the ground to make a makeshift bandage and slow down the bleeding. It's a little painful when I move, but I'll have to make do with... more are coming.

“Finally!” A voice exclaims behind me. “There you are!”

I turn my head and see the small group led by Sanji arrive. I quickly fix my shirt hoping the bloodstain on it is not too visible, if he thinks I'm injured he won't be able to focus entirely on something else. I smile when I see him, they don't take a second to get to know the situation and enter the fight immediately.

I admit it's easier with their help, Mugiwara looks even more unruly now that his friends have joined us and the ranks of the guards are shrinking until we finally see the end of it.

Our attackers are almost all down and those who remain are reluctant to come and attack us so I take advantage of this slight break to catch my breath and I see the others doing the same. I've already used my power quite a bit today and if I force it any harder I know I'll feel bad. My wound is throbbing, even though I'm starting to get used to it and I can already see black dots dancing in front of my eyes. I close them to try to get my thoughts straight. 

Suddenly I feel the air around us getting warmer, much too quickly for it to be natural. I look up to try to find the origin of this sudden heat, but it seems to come directly from the tower.

“What's going on?” Chopper asks at the same time, pulling on the collar of his shirt. “Why is it suddenly so hot?”

There are like heat waves coming in our faces, air so hot that I can see it rippling after a while. At first I think it's fatigue playing tricks on me, but if others feel it too, then we have reason to worry. 

The floor begins to heat up as well, and then the big wooden door of the Tower in front of us starts glowing before it catches fire and falls to the ground. The temperature rises another notch and I think I see an orange glow coming from the dark opening, heavy footsteps resonating on the floor.

“That doesn't sound good...” Sanji comments.

Even the guards in front of us don't dare move and take their distances. Little by little I discern a silhouette forming, my whole body is tense waiting to see who will come out of there, even if deep down I already know the answer. I see steam escaping from the ground and I even swear some of the paving stones are starting to melt because of the heat.

Then a huge man comes out and stops in front of us. He is dressed in red and his arms, giving off thick black smoke, are like molten lava and the angry look he has on our group is almost as burning as the air around him.

In spite of myself I have a movement of retreat, I admit he is impressive and seen the way he looks at us there is no doubt about his identity. The grip of my fingers around the hilt of my sword tightens by itself and I feel Sanji stretching out beside me but I don't let go of the man's eyes. Even Mugiwara doesn't move for once.

“So you're the vermin that's been causing me so much trouble for weeks?” He declares, anger and hatred echoing in his voice. “I'll be happy to get rid of you myself!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~I can't believe it was already the 36th, we're close to the end guys~~  
>  I hope you liked this chapter!   
> Next time, as you can guess, we'll have the Boss Fight, last battle of this story!  
> Until then, have a good week, take care!

**Author's Note:**

> So, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and the setting is clear enough, if not I'd be happy to answer any question or add things.
> 
> I'll post a chapter every saturday and I can assure I won't miss a week, I know how frustrating it is when you have to wait for months between two chapters x)
> 
> (P.S: I'm sorry if there are spelling/grammar mistakes or else, English is not my first language so I'm not a 100% sure about what I write sometimes even if I proofread my work several times)
> 
> Thank you for reading and see you for the next one. Until then have a good day/night or anything ! x)


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